Don't Look Back
by Dra323
Summary: Frisk is a waitress at Grillby's and a certain skeleton mobster doesn't trust her near his pal. Something about her is shady, and he fully intends to find out what. Mob wars, experiments, puns, and haunting pasts abound! Frans slow burn with hints at Charisk. T for future violence.
1. Chapter 1: Start

**Chapter 1**

 **Start**

"Another round over here, darlin'!" Frisk smiled and nodded at the customer before making her way over towards the bar. Noticing that the bartender was busy, she made up the drinks herself. Three whiskey sours and a very dirty martini. The bartender and boss, Grillby, nodded his head in approval at her. She smiled back at him and hurried over to the table. She dropped the drinks off in front of the four customers. One fox monster and three humans. The fox monster took the martini and thanked her with a wink.

"Anything else while I'm here?" She asks in her best waitress voice. One of the humans, a younger, skinny man shot her a smile.

"How about a drink with you after your shift?" He asked. Frisk smiled at him.

"Afraid I'm busy, sorry." She replied smoothly. The man theatrically grabbed at his chest.

"You wound me, doll, you do!" He cried out with a smile.

"I guess you'll just have to drink away your misery, ya goof." The fox monster said with a chuckle. The flirty man sighed morosely.

"I suppose you're right, my friend. Cheers to broken hearts and young love!" The man said, raising his drink. His companions laughed and raised theirs as well. Frisk took that as her cue to leave. She checked on her other two tables before returning to the bar. It was a slow night, but that was to be expected on a Monday. Grillby, done with his few customers walked over to Frisk.

"Doing well?" He asked quietly. Frisk nodded at him. He was, by far, the best boss she had had over the past two years. True, she had only been under his employ for a little over a week, but that was enough. He had hired her with very few questions and that was just fine with her. He was kind and was never demanding. He looked after her and made sure that the patrons gave her respect. On her second day he had quite literally _thrown_ a patron out for harassing her. She had been shocked. The quiet fire monster did not seem particularly strong, but she should have not judged a book by it's cover. The patron flew quite a distance.

Grillby seemed like a great monster. Even if he did have connections to one of the gangs in town. Grillby's was well known for being the favored hangout of the Groundskeepers. Frisk never asked Grillby about it, as it really wasn't her business, but she heard the rumors. Apparently Grillby and the Don of the Groundskeepers had been friends in the Underground before the monsters were free. Having shared that history, the Don didn't charge a protection fee to Grillby. In exchange, Grillby allowed the gang to frequent his bar. Frisk had been apprehensive about working in a gang-infested bar, but she had been pleasantly surprised. The bar had a happy atmosphere and was accepting of outsiders, so long as they behaved. If it weren't for the rumors, Frisk would have never guessed that a good portion of the patrons were gang members.

The bar itself was pretty nice. Not too fancy, but it was classy. On Fridays and Saturdays Grillby had live jazz bands come in and couples went to town on the dancefloor. On the other nights, Grillby just let the stereo play. Some patrons danced to the stereo after a few drinks. Frisk always felt warm and happy watching the happy couples dance with drunken abandon. She could tell that Grillby enjoyed it as well. It always gave the place some life. The bar was never really gloomy, but everyone seemed happier when there were people dancing, no matter what they were dancing to.

"Ruby! Can we get another round?" A table called out. Frisk smiled at them and looked at Grillby. He nodded and started on the drinks. She always felt a little pang of guilt when people called her "Ruby". She hated lying to them, but she had no choice. Even though she felt she could trust Grillby, she didn't want to take any chances. The smallest mistake could have nightmarish consequences.

Frisk scurried over to the table with the drinks once Grillby was done. They were for a couple that came it quite regularly. Frisk had already had them as a table four times since she started. The man was a human named Matt and the woman was an owl monster named Hooley. They were extremely kind and always made sure to ask Frisk about her day. Frisk could tell that they were hopelessly in love and often wondered if they would get married soon. They told her that they had been dating for little over a year now after having met at this very restaurant.

Once Frisk was finished with them, she did another round, checking on all of her tables. She meandered back to the bar and began polishing the silverware that had just come out of the washer. While it was a boring chore, she didn't mind it because she was able to keep an eye on the restaurant while she did it. Had she been doing something else, she wouldn't have noticed the skeleton walk through the doors.

She had to keep herself from staring. She knew that monsters came in all shapes and sizes, however, he evoked nightmarish memories from her. She flicked her eyes back to the restaurant, hoping that he hadn't noticed her staring. _She_ couldn't help but notice the shift in atmosphere in the restaurant. It was subtle, but something was definitely different. She noticed that patrons kept glancing over at the skeleton and while the talking didn't stop, it quieted down a bit. Frisk wondered just who the skeleton was to elicit such a response. He didn't seem like much to her. Sure he was a skeleton, but the monsters wouldn't react over that. He didn't seem intimidating. Most monsters were extremely tall, but he couldn't have been more than a couple inches taller than her own 5'11". He was dressed in a suite, but the shirt was wrinkled and he carried the jacket over his shoulder. His tie was loose as well. All in all, he looked like he just awoke from a nap and didn't bother fixing his appearance.

"heya, grillbz." Frisk heard him call. She looked out of the corner of her eye to see him sitting at the bar. His voice was deep and coarse, like he had been smoking. Frisk saw Grillby approach the skeleton monster, but couldn't hear what the fire monster said.

"Ruby! Can we cash out?" The flirt from the first table called out. Frisk nodded her head then held up on finger on one hand and four on the other, silently asking if they wanted their tabs together or separate.

"All together, doll, if you can." The fox monster answered. Frisk flashed a smile and gave them a thumbs up before writing down their check. She walked over and handed it to the Fox monster. Before she could walk away to give them space to figure out their check, the flirt beckoned her closer.

"I'm guessin' you haven't met sans yet?" He asked her in a low voice. Frisk shook her head "no". The flirt smirked.

"I thought not, you looked pretty startled when that old bag 'o' bones walked through the door. Don't you worry, dollface, so long as you stay on his good side, he don't bite." The flirt assured her. Frisk felt a shiver go down her spine. She would definitely make sure she stayed on this "sans"s good side. She already had a bad feeling about him.

"Who is he, exactly?" Frisk asked quietly.

"He's a high ranking member of the Groundskeepers, Rubs, he's got quite the reputation." The man to Flirt's left explained, just as quietly, "Rumor on the street is he deals with the shadier missions. I've heard that his nickname among the gangs is 'The Reaper'. Bit dramatic, if you ask me, but it's what I've heard." Frisk gave a soft hum and made note to steer well clear of sans. The fox monster handed her the check.

"No change, Ruby, it's all yours, doll. You deserve it after having to put up with this joker." The fox monster explained, pointing at Flirt. Flirt mockingly glared at Fox and declared that their friendship was over…. At least for the next couple of minutes, anyway. Frisk giggled at their antics and wished them a great night. Flirt told her that she would always have a special place in his heart and he would never forget her. Fox smacked Flirt upside the head and wished Frisk a good night, as well.

Frisk returned to the bar and went over to the cash register. She put the amount owed into it, making sure the notes were in the right slots and all bank-faced. She stuck her tip, which was a generous amount, into her apron. She turned around to find the skeleton staring right at her. She gave him a weak smile and started to walk away.

"heya, darlin', don't you know how to greet a new friend?" she heard the skeleton call out to her, "turn around, and shake my hand." Frisk swallowed a nervous gulp and plastered a smile on her face. She turned and walked over to sans. She put her hand in his extended one and gave him a firm handshake.

"pleased to meet ya, darlin'. name's sans, sans the skeleton." Frisk was shocked to find that, even though he was speaking perfectly clearly, his mouth never opened. He just smiled at her.

"Ruby." Frisk said by way of introduction. sans' grin spread wider.

"ruby, huh? nice name, kiddo. grillbz was tellin' me that you just started 'bout a week ago?" Frisk nodded her head in affirmation. "no wonder i didn't recognize ya. i'm usually pretty good with faces. so, ruby, you're a pretty young thing, why are ya working here? nothin' against the place, of course, it's my favorite joint, but it can be a bit rough for a sweet girl like you." Sans explained.

"Grillby was hiring and I needed a job. I just moved here." Frisk answered. Sans stared at her, waiting for her to provide more information, but Frisk stayed quiet. His grin shrank a little bit.

"alright, well where did you move here from?" He asked.

"North side of the city." Frisk replied.

"city's a big place, darlin', mind being a bit more specific?" All humor was gone from sans' voice. Frisk really didn't want to get on his bad side, but she wasn't about to tell this stranger her life story. Not even Grillby had asked such personal questions.

"Yes." She replied. Sans stared at her expectantly. After a few moments of awkward silence he sighed.

"'yes' you'll give me more details?" He asked slowly, as if Frisk were slow of mind.

"'Yes' as in 'I do mind.'" Frisk explained. She sucked in a breath when the lights in sans' eyes went completely out, leaving his eye sockets pitch black. She took a step back. A different face flashed in her mind's eye but was gone within an instant.

"that's not a smart answer, kiddo." sans said, his voice cold. Frisk took a breath and tried to stand up straight and show no fear.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know you and I don't want to give out personal information to a stranger." She explained.

"Sans!" Grillby barked out. Frisk gave a sigh of relief as the bartender marched over. She noticed that the lights had re-ignited in sans' eyes.

"what's up, grillbz?" Sans asked, leaning back and acting as nothing had happened.

"Do not harass my waitress, sans, or I won't serve you." The fire monster threatened. sans' eyes widened. Frisk was shocked that Grillby could get away with talking to a major mob member that way.

"alright, alright, grillbz. i was just asking her her story, no harm done." sans put his hands in front of him in surrender. Grillby gave him a stern look.

"Ruby, why don't you go check on your tables. I'll make sure sans doesn't waste anymore of your time." Grillby said. Frisk shot him a grateful smile before hustling off.

Four hours later, Frisk waved off her last table. She began putting all the chairs up in the restaurant while Grillby tended the register. Frisk noted with some discomfort that the skeleton monster was still at the bar with, of all things, a bottle of ketchup in his hand. She winced as he took a long swig of the condiment. _Gross_ , she thought silently to herself.

"I'll be in my office for a moment." Grillby called out to her when she was halfway done mopping the floors. She shot him two thumbs up before he walked to the back with the till in his hands. She turned around to continue mopping and almost screamed. Right behind her was sans. She whipped her head around to look at the bar, where she could have _sworn_ he was just sitting not even two seconds ago. She looked back at the grinning skeleton. And back at the bar. And back at him. sans let out a chuckle.

"sorry, darlin', didn't mean to startle ya, there." His words were a bit slurred and Frisk noticed that he swayed a bit where he stood. _Did that ketchup have alcohol in it?_

"It's okay, sir. If you don't mind, I need to get back to my job." She said as politely as she could, turning away to continue mopping. She gave a little gasp when she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She quickly smacked the hand off and stepped away from the skeleton. sans looked confused for a moment but then shrugged it off.

"i just gotta say one thing, darlin', then i'll let you be. scouts honor." sans held up on hand and put the other over his heart, chuckling.

"Okay." Frisk said when he remained quiet.

"you see, darlin', grillbz is a real good friend of mine. that's why i was askin' ya all those questions. i'm just tryin' ta watch his back, ya know?" he asked with a shrug. Frisk slowly nodded that she understood. "glad you can smell what i'm steppin' in, darlin. anyways, i just wanted ta offer ya one piece of advice, then i'll get out of your hair." Frisk took a step back, eyes wide, when the little lights in sans' eyes went out once again. sans took a step to match hers and one more to put himself right infront of her. The color in Frisks face drained away in fear.

"if you hurt grillby in anyway or cause him harm in any way…..Y o u ' d." He said slowly and in a deep, cold voice. The lights in his eyes reignited and he took a step back, "understand?"

Frisk nodded quickly. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the mop handle.

"you feelin' okay there, kiddo? you're looking a little _washed_ out." sans quipped. He chuckled at his own pun before meandering back to his spot at the bar. Frisk kept an eye on him and didn't move until he was sitting down. She then proceeded to close up the restaurant faster than she ever had before.

Once done, she carefully slipped behind the bar and into the back, keeping an eye on the skeleton the entire time. Once she was through the kitchen doors, she thought she heard sans chuckle. Frisk quickened her pace.

Frisk stopped outside of Grillby's office and gave a soft knock. She gently opened the door when Grillby told her to come in and stuck her head in the office.

"Good night," Was all she said. Grillby looked up at her and nodded, nonverbally wishing her the same.

"Be safe." Was all he said. Frisk nodded before retreating and closing the door behind her. She quickly made her way out the back door. Once in the alley behind Grillby's, Frisk let out a deep sigh. Her life was already stressful enough, she didn't need a pun-loving, skeleton gangster threatening her in addition. Frisk double checked to make sure she had all of her belonging before setting out to "home". She stuck to the dark alleys and side streets. She knew that, at this time of night, they were dangerous, but she had her reasons to use them. Even so, she remained vigilant on her walk.

About ten minutes later, Frisk was unlocking the door to her apartment. She quickly stepped inside and let out a heavy sigh of relief. She closed and locked the door behind her before walking over and falling onto her bed.

The apartment was much, a small studio in a shady part of town, but the rent was cheap. Frisk could do without the constant fighting of the couple next door, but aside from that, she really couldn't complain. She didn't need much. Hell, she didn't even _have_ much. Her bed was a twin sized mattress on the floor. All of her clothes were stored in her suitcase as she didn't have a dresser. She had the most basic of kitchen supplies, she wasn't that great of a cook anyways. She had a chair and a coffee table, both of which she had found on the side of the road for free. She had a small radio that she loved and listened to whenever she could. It really helped to drown out the neighbors. The apartment came with a fridge, but she rarely stocked it.

It really wasn't much, but Frisk was happy with it. It was hers. At least for as long as she decided to stay. Frisk yawned and kicked her shoes off. She looked over at her single window to make sure that the blanket she used as a curtain was drawn. Satisfied and exhausted, Frisk pulled the covers over herself without taking her work clothes off. Even with the terrifying events of the night, sleep claimed her quickly.

AN: Not much to say. I actually have this one planned out and hopefully will have time to actually update it. It's going to be a slow-burn Frans Mobtale story. Or at least an attempt at one. Let me know what you think and please give me some constructive criticism, it's been years since I've written any stories.

***EDIT

Actually: Some prologue, I guess? In my AU, the monsters were freed from the underground about fifty years ago. Thanks to the monsters emergence, technology has advanced in leaps and bounds! This story still takes place in the '20's era, but prohibition is not in effect and there are TVs, movies, radios, phones, cars, even mobile phones, however they are very basic (cell phones are just for calling and maybe some old school texting (T9)). However, even with the super advanced technology, the style and music/entertainment of the 20's is still prevalent. I know that, realistically, if we had such technology back then, it would have been completely different, but please bear with me on this. I swear I have somewhat of an idea for this! Thank you and I hope you enjoy! Also, if you are reading my other story, Time and Time Again, I promise I haven't given up on it (even though it's been years), I just hit a bit of a block, but I will eventually get back to it (probably when I hit a block here, hahaha). Thank you again and I hope you enjoy your day!


	2. Chapter 2: Your Best Friend

**Chapter 2**

 **Your Best Friend**

The next morning found Frisk tired and cranky. Her sleep had been less than pleasant. With a frustrated sigh, Frisk rolled out of bed. She knew she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep again after those nightmares, plus the neighbors were yelling at each other - _again._ Frisk grumpily turned on her radio and turned the volume up a few notches out of spite. It wasn't obnoxiously loud, but she hoped her neighbors would hear it and get a hint.

Frisk walked into her tiny bathroom and turned the shower on. The pipes rattled and whistled, but eventually came on full blast. While waiting for the shower to heat up, Frisk brushed her teeth. After rinsing her mouth out with water, she wiped her damp face on the towel and grimaced, it was still a little wet from her shower yesterday. What a _great_ start to her day.

Frisk took a moment to listen to the smooth jazz tune emitting out of her radio. She tried to concentrate on the music and swayed a bit to the beat. She imagined herself in a fancy dress at one of those nice joints she always heard about celebrities going to. She imagined that she had nice shoes and her hair and makeup were absolutely perfect. She smiled and mingled with the finest of people. The live played continued their smooth jazz and couples danced slowly on the dance floor. Frisk laughed and smiled, truly happy. She didn't have a care in the world, the only thing that mattered was having a good time. A kind stranger came up to her and swept her onto the dancefloor. They slowly danced together. He paid her compliments and she returned the favor. He flirted, but only lightly. She could feel herself falling for him. She was about to ask his name when a pain shot up her foot.

Scowling, Frisk hopped around on one foot, clutching the other. She was back in her small apartment and had stupidly stubbed her toe on her coffee table. She sighed as the pain receded, it was a nice dream. She made her way back to the bathroom, happy to see that steam was rising from the shower water. She quickly removed last night's clothes and hopped into the shower. It was at just the perfect temperature. Frisk quickly washed her hair and body before turning off the water and stepping out. She frowned as she dried herself off with her damp towl before wrapping it around her hair to help dry it faster. She picked up her dirty clothes and put them in a pile next to her suitcase. She would take them to be cleaned later in the week. Frisk pulled out a pair of black slacks and a white blouse. She put on her underthings before putting on her outfit for the day. Once dressed, Frisk tussled her hair in the towel before hanging the towel back on the hook of her bathroom door.

Frisk walked over to her chair and picked up the current book she was reading. She didn't have to work until later in the evening so she settled in for a long day.

A few hours later, a knock sounded on Frisks door, causing her to jump. She quickly crept to her bathroom, leaving the radio on. She wasn't expecting any visitors today and she had already paid rent, so she had no idea who would be outside her door. The person knocked again, louder.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" A feminine voice called, "I'm your neighbor, I brought over cookies!" Confused, Frisk slowly made her way towards the apartment door. She looked through her peephole and saw a small woman standing outside. Frisk plastered on a smile and opened her door.

"Sorry, I was a little distracted." She explained. The small woman smiled up at Frisk.

"It's okay! My name is Emily! I live there," The woman explained, pointing to the apartment to the right of Frisks. Frisk felt some tension leave her body, this woman wasn't the one from the apartment with all the yelling. "I know I should have done this when you first moved in, but I've been so busy with work and family and I just got back from a trip to visit a friend the next city over. It was great! I haven't seen her in so long! Anyways we went to this amazing club and I saw Mettaton! Can you believe it? I couldn't! What were the chances of both of us being in the next city over and in the same club?! I couldn't talk to him, but I swear I was maybe 20 feet away! He's just as gorgeous as he looks in the pictures and movies! Oh, but I'm rambling again! I meant to say that I made these for you to welcome you to the building!" The woman explained, pushing the plate of chocolate chip cookies into Frisks hands. She spoke so fast that Frisk honestly had a hard time keeping up. "I spoke to the landlord and he told me you weren't from around this part of Ebott City. That's so exciting! Where are you from? I grew up on this block. My family still lives in our old apartment but I needed to get out of there, I'm sure you understand! I love my family but I'm an _adult_ and I need the chance to act like one! Also, they were so strict! Living on my own has really opened up my world! Anyways, what I mean to say is that if you need any advice on what to do and where to go around here, I'm your girl!" Frisk took a moment to make sure that Emily really was done talking before she replied, a happy smile on her face.

"Thank you, I really appreciate them! I'm not a great cook, so I love when I can get home cooked food! I've actually been moving all around the city, this is my first time in this part though. And thank you, I also appreciate the help." Frisk replied. She extended her hand towards Emily, "My name is Ruby."

"Ruby? That's so pretty! Is that your birthstone? Is that why your parents named you Ruby? My stone is garnet but my parents named me Emily after my late great-grandmother. And you don't cook? What a shame, I think it's so fun! I love to cook! Oh! We should do dinner one night! I can cook it! I love having company over! It would be great! I love making friends!"

"It's not actually my birthstone, my parents just like the name. I think that would be fun, I'd love to do dinner with you. I work most nights though, so it might be difficult to plan." Frisk explained, happy to have a chance to hang out with someone nice.

"Hmmmm, what about lunch then? We could do a simple lunch! How about tomorrow? What do you like to eat? I'll eat anything!" Emily exclaimed, bouncing on the heels of her feet.

"I'd like that and I'm not a picky eater. I'll be happy with anything." Frisk said with a smile. Emily's eyes lit up.

"Wonderful! Oh I'm so excited you're my new neighbor! The last one here was such a _bore_! And he _never_ talked to any of us! So rude! Well I'm going to figure out what to make for lunch! Plus I should get going, I have to go visit my family tonight! My little sister is going on her first date tonight and I'm doing her makeup! Tootles, Rubz!" With a cheerful wave, Emily practically skipped back to her apartment. Frisk smiled and retreated back into her own apartment, shutting and locking the door again behind her.

Frisk set down the batch of cookies on the coffee table and settled back into her chair. She eagerly grabbed a cookie off the plate and took a big bite out of it. The sound Frisk made when she tasted it was almost indecent. The cookie was incredible! The chocolate was still gooey and warm from the oven. Frisk swore on her name that she had never had something so delicious! She quickly stood up and went over to her fridge, luckily she still had a little milk left in the carton. She pulled out her only mug and poured the last of the milk into it. She shoved the rest of the first cookie into her mouth and sat back down. Normally she didn't interact with her neighbors, she prefered not becoming attached. That way it hurt less when she inevitably moved again.

Frisk gave a heavy sigh in between bites. She had no clue where she would move next or when. The longest she had ever stayed in an apartment was three months. She had only been here two weeks, but she always needed to think of her next steps. She didn't have much saved up, but once she did she was going to flee this horrible city. She'd go across the country, live in a different city. She'd go to school, settle on a good career, maybe even raise a family. Or at least get a dog. But for now she had to figure out the next step. Those were long term goals. Frisk groaned and leaned back in the chair.

"I can at least wait another week before I think about that, right?" She asked her empty room before taking another bite out of a cookie. The room did not reply.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN: Sorry about the short chapter, I'm trying to figure out how to develop the characters and I wasn't sure how to transition from this scene to the next without a chapter break. I'm worried I'm "telling more than showing" but I'll work on it! I have a really good plan for this story...but only after I build the world and certain characters develop more... anyways, please let me know your thoughts! And please let me know if I switched tenses, I find I'm really bad at that...and spelling...Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3: All the Small Things

**Chapter 3**

 **All the Small Things**

Frisk groaned and glared at the empty plate before her. She could not believe she ate _all_ of the cookies in one sitting. Well, she _could_ , but she didn't _want_ to. She wished she hadn't. Now, she was stuffed full and just wanted to take a nap, but it was time to go to work. With a heavy sigh, she pushed out of her chair and skulked over to the bathroom. She checked her reflection, making sure no chocolate smeared her face. She absentmindedly brushed the crumbs from her shirt, luckily they didn't smear. She brushed her teeth quickly to make sure that no chocolate was left to gross out her tables tonight. Once done, Frisk threw on her low t-strap heels, grabbed her apron, server book, purse and keys before walking out the door.

Frisk used the back door to walk into Grillby's. She filled out her time card with her starting time before storing her purse away in a cubby in the back. She tied on her apron, checked with a board in the back for the specials of the day and the 86 list before walking out to the actual restaurant. Grillby nodded at her in greeting before turning back to the bar patrons. Tuesdays were a bit busy for the bar; Grillby liked to do a "two for one" discount on the booze.

A sheep monster, Mary, beckoned Frisk over. Frisk dutifully walked over to the senior waitress and smiled. Mary was a sweet woman and had helped train Frisk.

"You ready to take a table, Ruby?" The sheep monster asked. Frisk nodded her head and gave a thumbs up. "Wonderful! I just got sat, but haven't greeted them yet, it's a two-top at 31. I would take them, but I just closed out my last table and tonight is date night for Ron and I." Mary explained, blushing slightly. Ron was the wolf monster Mary had been dating for a few weeks now. Frisk thought they made a great couple, despite how their animal counterparts are portrayed.

"Have fun!" Frisk said, wiggling her eyebrows. Mary lightly shoved Frisks shoulder, blushing even more.

"Oh hush, you!" She exclaimed before walking into the back to clock out and leave. Frisk smiled and walked over to her first table.

The night went off without a hitch. The restaurant was busier than normal, but Frisk didn't mind. She needed the money. Luckily, most of her tables were feeling pretty good from the "two for one" booze and tipped her well. A few patrons had flirted with her throughout the night, but the flirting was light and didn't bother her. One woman had actually left her phone number on a receipt along with a very generous tip. Frisk felt bad that she couldn't call the patron to thank her, as she didn't own a phone herself. Mobile or landline. They were too expensive for her.

Frisk was polishing silverware behind the bar again when she took notice of a patron sitting by himself. He seemed to be some sort of ghost monster and looked pretty down. Frisk saw that he didn't have a menu or drink yet.

"Are you okay, sir?" She asked quietly. The ghost jumped a bit. He looked at her, then quickly looked away.

"I'm sorry," The ghost murmured, "I'm in your way, right? I'll just leave." Frisk startled when she noticed the patron begin to fade away.

"No, sir!" She replied quickly, "You're not in my way! I just wanted to see if you needed anything." Frisk let out a relieved breath as the ghost seemed to fade back.

"Oh, okay. As long as I'm not in the way…" Frisk smiled and shook her head. The ghost let out a small smile in return. "Well I guess I would like a ghost sidecar and a ghost sandwich, if that's okay…. I understand if you don't want to…" Frisk smiled and gave the gloomy ghost a thumbs up. She quickly walked over to Grillby and passed on the order. Frisk would have been glad to make the drink herself while the cooks prepared the food, but the "ghost" products phased right through her. Frisk caught the ghost's eye, pointed at Grillby, then shot the ghost a thumbs up before checking on the last of her tables.

* * *

"...ta really _raise_ yer _spirits_ , ya know?" Frisk froze mid step when she heard that voice followed by a chuckle. She looked up from her notepad to see sans the skeleton sitting next to the ghost patron. _I_ can't _deal with this right now._ She thought silently. Frisk took a deep breath and went over to the barback to relay her order. She stared at the liquor bottles as she waited for Fiku to make her drinks. She refused to acknowledge the punny skeleton sitting less than five feet away from her.

"i see yer drinkin' tonight, ya tryin' ta get _sheet_ faced?" Had Frisk not been so terrified of sans, she probably would have laughed at that. The ghost patron let out a soft laugh. Frisk smiled despite herself. She had been worried about the little ghost monster. Thankfully Fuku came over at that moment with a tray of drinks for Frisk. Although Fuku was Grillby's daughter and had only been barbacking for a few months, she moved faster than Grillby himself. Frisk was always happy when she was barbacking. She loved Grillby, but he did not hurry himself. He was graceful and deliberate in everything he did, sadly that meant that he moved a bit slowly. Frisk mouthed a silent "thank you" to Fuku and went to drop off the drinks at her tables.

* * *

Frisk thanked the stars that tonight she wasn't the late night server. Once her current tables left, she could go home as well. No staying around to help close. She was hoping to be out of there by 11. As she was dropping off a Corpse Reviver at her only one-top, the patron stopped her.

"Heya, darling," the young man slurred, "whazza pretty thing like yooouu doin in-inna plash like dis?" Frisk managed not to roll her eyes, but instead gave a sweet smile.

"I'm working, sir." She replied before attempting to move on, but the drunk man grabbed her arm.

"Whhy-hic-why do ya need to work inna place like- like thiss when yoh've gotta bo-face like _that?_ " The man asked, his eyes rolling around in his head, as if he couldn't focus on any one thing. Frisk firmly tugged her arm out of his grasp and walked away. She gave out an annoyed huff as she returned to the bar. She began aggressively rolling the silverware while she waited for one of her tables to flag her down.

"slow down there, kiddo, you might _ware_ yourself down going at that speed." Frisk stiffened. Slowly, she looked up at the skeleton. She knew better than to be rude towards a patron, but she didn't give him the friendliest of looks before going back to her task. She held back a scowl when sans chuckled in response. She prayed to every deity she had ever heard of that one of her tables would need her, but when she glanced at them, they all seemed content.

"tough crowd." She heard sans mutter. "c'mon, sweetheart, throw me a _bone_ here. this is some a+ material I'm givin' ya!" Frisk took a deep breath and raised her head to show sans her best "customer service" smile before returning to her task. She heard sans sharply inhale and was sure he was about to "go scary" on her when one of her tables called her name.

Frisk was happy to hear that two out of her last three tables wanted their checks. The only one that didn't ask for the check was the one top. Frisk decided that since her only other tables were cashing out and her one top had had clearly too much to drink, that it was time to give him his check as well. She dropped off his check in the same run that she dropped off her other tables checks. When she went around to collect payment, the drunkard hadn't even looked at his check. Frisk sighed, but quickly cashed out the other two tables. When she went back around, the one top still hadn't touched his bill.

"Sir, it's time for you to pay your bill." She informed him kindly. He slowly looked at her.

"Whuuat?" He slurred.

"Your bill, sir. You have to pay it now." Frisk said a little more sternly.

"Buhht the barss not clooshed yet, I shtill got taaaime, daaaull face." He informed her.

"The bar is closed for you, it's time to pay your tab." Frisk said.

"Youh fuckin' bi-hitch. Imma-I'mma payin' custama, youh can't do this." He accused, attempting to point his finger at Frisk.

"Pay your tab. Now." Frisk replied, losing all pretense of kindness. The drunk stood up in what, Frisk assumed, was an attempt to intimidate her, but he could barely stand on his own feet.

"I dahn't werk awll friggen dayy jussst so some whore can tell me whadda do." He said, leaning heavily on the table.

"Pay your tab. Now." Was all Frisk said in reply.

"I know tha owner, ya caahnt tawlk to me that way!" The drunk cried out. Frisk raised a brow.

"Oh really? What's his name?" She asked.

"It's….it's...Bob! Bob is the owna, ya dummb brooad!"

"Is it now? Well 'Bob' says you need to pay your tab and leave." Frisk replied smoothly. The drunk looked at her, confused.

"Well if Bob sez I gotta, then I will, but Imma file a-hic-a complaihnt abaaut you." The man said as he pulled out his wallet. He handed frisk a few notes before making his way out. Frisk did not feel the need to tell him that he had paid her twice the amount he owed.

When Frisk went to the bar to pay the tabs, Grillby gave her a questioning look. She pointed at the drunk leaving and rolled her eyes. When she was close to the fire monster she quietly explained.

"Apparently he knows the owner, _Bob._ " Even though she couldn't see them, Frisk was under the impression that Grillby had rolled his eyes. "I told him that 'Bob' wanted him to leave." Frisk said with a shrug.

"heh." Frisk's back stiffened when she heard the soft chuckle behind her. She forced herself to relax.

"Is there anything else you need from me?" Frisk asked. Grillby shook his head. "Alright, I left my slips in the drawer with all the money I owed you."

"Be safe." Grillby replied. Frisk nodded and smiled. As she went into the back, she heard sans talk to Grillby.

"i think i'll settle up, buddy. had a long day, better get home 'fore paps gets worried, ya know?" Frisk continued to make her way out, stopping only to get her purse and write down her clock out time on her time slip. She threw a friendly wave at the cook before quietly leaving out the back door.

* * *

"ya know, most folks who work here leave outta the main entrance." Frisk let out a yelp, quickly turning towards the voice. She had her hand in her bag, grabbing her knife. Her gripped tightened as sans stepped out of the shadows. sans threw up his hands in a calming gesture when Frisk took a step back.

"easy there, sweetheart, i ain't gonna hurt ya." sans explained as he took a step forward. Frisk kept her hand on her knife, but kept it in her purse. She raised an eyebrow at the skeleton. He chuckled and said: "i understand yer skepticism, darlin, but really, i ain't gonna hurt ya."

"What do you want, then?" Frisk asked, straightening her stance. He might have a few inches on her, but she'd be damned if he would let her feel small. sans rubbed his skull in what might have been embarrassment.

"well, _tibia_ honest, i wanted to apologize fer last night. i was a bit of a _bone_ head. i guess i might have come off as….a bit rude. yeah, i know that's a bit of an understatement," sans said in reply to Frisks scoff, "but what i mean is, i crossed a line, and while i did mean everything i said," He continued with pointed look, "i could have said it better... _nicer,_ ya know? anyways, what i'm really tryin' ta say, is i'm sorry if i scared you." Frisk slowly let go of the knife in her bag. She wasn't expecting the mobster before her to apologize.

"It's okay." Was all she said in response. She didn't actually forgive him, but she felt she had no choice. He was a high ranking mobster and she was a human woman. In a dark alley. All alone. And all she had was a pocket knife. "Well if you don't mind, I'll be on my way, sir." Frisk made to walk by the skeleton, but he put a hand to her arm as she tried to pass. Not grabbing, but halting her nonetheless.

"now, sweetheart, i want ya to know that apology was sincere," sans said. Frisk swallowed nervously. Sweat dripped down her neck and sent a chill down her back. Normally she would have shown off her self defence moves by now, but this wasn't a normal situation. She didn't want any trouble with the Groundskeepers. They were entirely too high profile.

"I understand, sir, I would just like to go home now, if you don't mind." She said in the most polite voice she could muster. She gently removed his hand and walked down the alley. She let out a relieved sigh when she didn't hear him follow. When she had made it about a block away, she looked back, only to see the skeleton wasn't there anymore. _Probably made his way home_ , she thought silently. She faced forward and turned down another dark alley, only to stop and let out yet _another_ pathetic yelp as she came face to face with sans again.

"Stop that!" She commanded before she could help herself. She immediately slapped her hands over her mouth, "I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean sir!" She quickly spat out.

"first one's free, sweetheart," sans replied with a shrug, "now anyways, as i was gonna say earlier, 'fore you started walkin' away, i just want a couple 'a questions answered, then you can go on with your little life, ya dig?" Frisk nodded and braced herself.

"okay, so where are ya from?" sans asked. Frisk resisted rolling her eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir, but as I said last night, I'm not in the habit of telling strangers where I live." Frisk replied as cordially as she ' smile faded a bit.

"issat so? alright, 'ruby', what's yer last name? what family you from?"

"I don't have a last name sir. And I'm an orphan, so I don't know." Frisk replied with feigned melancholy. She was glad he had asked that. Usually after Frisk gave the "orphan" response, people would back off out of sympathy. She never really felt guilty about that, after all, she truly was an orphan. It was just a benefit that it was a topic that made others uncomfortable.

"orphan, huh? how'd that happen?" Frisk stared at the monster, shocked.

"The same way it always does. My parents died, no relatives to take me in. Now, if you'll excuse me…"Frisk replied.

"how'd yer parents die?"

"I don't know. I was too young." All pretense of friendliness left Frisks voice. He had no right to ask that and they cold way he asked _hurt._ What she said was the truth, but not remembering didn't make it less painful. _Fuck you_ , she thought as she shoved past the monster. Consequences be damned, if he thought he crossed a line last night, today he took a swan dive off of it.

"shit." Frisk heard him mutter, but she kept walking. Tears threatened to spill over, but she managed to wipe them away before they did. She told a lot of lies, but she never lied about her parents. She learned early on that the best lies were woven with truths. No matter "who" she became, she kept her background the same. No important details to remember and the city didn't care enough about orphans to keep accurate track of them. It was sad, but true. And she used every bit of it to her advantage.

Frisk decided to use the long route home, just in case the creepy mobster decided to follow her. Once or twice, she thought she saw a flash of light in the corner of her eyes, but when she looked, there was nothing there. Only neon signs advertising some kind of bar or shop.

Eventually, Frisk made it back to her apartment, It was a little after midnight when Frisk turned the key in her lock. Just as she was about to go in, she saw Emily's door open and Emily herself step out. The girl was wearing a very simple dress, but had on rather decorative makeup. She jumped when she saw Frisk looking at her.

"Oh! Hey! I didn't see you there!" Emily said in a high pitched voice, "Well, I won't hold you up, it's pretty late and all! Sorry, I just didn't expect to see you out so late! Um anyways, we still on for dinner tomorrow?" Frisk nodded, "Good! Ummm okay! Well I'll see you tomorrow then! Get a good night's sleep, okay? Alright, goodnight!" Emily rushed down the stairs, much to Frisks confusement. After a second, Frisk shrugged and went into her small apartment She locked the door behind her and quickly stripped off her work clothes. Her one nightgown was dirty, so she simply went to bed naked. It had been yet another long day and she was happy to fall into bed. She promptly pulled the covers up over herself. She was asleep before she could even begin to think about the events of the day.

* * *

AN: Sorry if this is a little rough. I really need to find a beta reader, but idk how to do that haha...I also may have written most of this chapter while drunk...so there's that... please, please let me know of any spelling/grammar mistakes! I'm horrible at both when I'm sober, I can only imagine how bad it gets when I've been drinking! If there's any questions please let me know! Other than that, I hope you have a great day/night! And happy holidays!


	4. Chapter 4: Here We Are

**Chapter 4**

Sans stared after the retreating girl. He had been sure that Ruby had been lying about being an orphan, but now he didn't know. She had seemed so blasé when she told him that she didn't have parents sans figured it was just a lie so he would stop talking to her. He would have never asked such insensitive questions if he thought, even for a moment, that she had been telling the truth.

"shit." He muttered, scratching the back of his skull. He felt bad, but he was still suspicious of the girl. From day one she had seemed to be dodging his questions. At first he was merely curious about her. He always liked to check up on Grillby's new hires; one couldn't be too careful when one was tied to the mobs. The fact that the newest hire had a cute face had been an added motivator. It was only after sans started questioning the waitress that he actually grew suspicious. He wouldn't put it past the Roughs to try and put a spy in the Groundskeepers favorite bar.

Snapping back to the present, sans took a deep breath and stepped sideways into a shortcut. He came out behind a dumpster at the end of an alley close to Ruby. He quickly closed his blue eye, shrouding himself in darkness. He saw with his open eye the look of fury and hurt etched across Ruby's face. A pang of guilt struck through sans but he pushed it down. He told himself that what he was doing was for the safety of his friend. And he wasn't _hurting_ the girl. Not really.

He watched as Ruby checked behind her and visibly relax when she noticed that sans wasn't outside the restaurant anymore. Sans was surprised when, instead of taking the alley he was hiding in towards the main road, Ruby continued down the dark alleyway she was in. sans narrowed his eyes in suspicion. This wasn't exactly what one would call a "safe" neighborhood. It wasn't the worst, but everyone knew better than to walk in the alleys after dark. Ruby was either incredibly stupid… or she knew something sans didn't. Something that gave her the upperhand in the alleys of Ebott City. That made her dangerous. sans knew he had to follow her.

He didn't want to think about what his friends would say if they knew that a girl like Ruby made him nervous. Nervous enough to follow her. His suspicions only grew as he followed the waitress. She kept stopping and looking around her, as if searching for something. Twice she almost caught sans before he could cover the blue magic that leaked from his eye. She was fast to react. And sans didn't fail to notice that she kept her hand in her purse.

He followed her all the way to an old apartment building. He watched as she walked into the building, waiting a moment before he took his own shortcut in. He remained one flight below her as he followed her up. He made sure not to make a sound as he crept up the old staircase. It wasn't as difficult as it sounded, he had mastered the skill of sneaking years ago. He watched from the shadows as Ruby unlocked the door to an apartment. He had to stifle a chuckle at Ruby's confusion as she watched her neighbor flee down the stairs. The flustered girl didn't even notice sans in her escape, cheeks red in embarrassment. Unfortunately, sans was at a bad angle and couldn't see into Ruby's apartment. She shut the door behind her too quickly for sans to move into a better position. sans gave out an annoyed sigh and checked his watch. It was a little past 11. Papyrus would, no doubt, be in bed already. sans glared at the door, as if it was to blame for everything.

Resigned, sans left the building in favor of the nearest bar he could find. Luckily, there was one in the basement of the next building over. sans moodily stomped down the stairs to the entrance of the bar. He was by no means surprised to find the place to be a total dive. Cigar smoke polluted the air, the radio was more static than music, all the patrons were hunched over their drinks, as if afraid that someone would try to steal them, and in general the bar was just _dirty._ sans grimaced as his shoes stuck to the floor with every step. He sat down at the least disgusting seat he could find. The bartender slowly walked over to him and waited for sans to order.

"you wouldn't happen to have any ketchup bottles, would ya, pal?" sans asked, already knowing the answer. The bartender just blinked slowly. "i thought not. i'll just have a double shot o' whiskey. top shelf."

The bartender put a rocks glass in front of sans and poured out the double. sans tried to hold back a scowl. What passed as top shelf at this bar would be considered bottom shelf at Grillby's. Nevertheless, sans made sure to tip the bartender well. The man had given him what looked to be the only clean glass in the joint.

sans took a sip of the disappointing whiskey as he checked his watch again. 12:13. He sighed. Sometimes being a good friend really did suck.

Two in the morning found sans glaring at the apartment door again. He listened closely for the sound of movement on the other side, but was pretty sure he didn't hear anything. _prob'ly shouldn't a had that third double._ He rubbed the back of his skull absently. _better get this ov'r with, then._

sans took a deep breath as the hallway was bathed in the blue light of his magic. On the exhale, sans took a "short-cut". On step and he was in the apartment. He kept his magical eye glowing, certain it was too faint to wake the slumbering human. He could in the dark much better than humans, but even he needed some light sometimes. sans took a quick 360 of the room and was somewhat disturbed by sight. He knew some homeless people that had more stuff in a shopping cart. sans' guilt for breaking in eased slightly. Clearly there was something suspicious about the girl. Moving as quietly as he could, sans inspected the apartment, looking for anything incriminating or suspicious. Or even something personal that would give him some clues on the human's past. His face heated when he neared the mattress on the floor and found that the human was sleeping _sans_ clothes. He looked away from her sleeping form while he carefully slipped a hand under the mattress, looking for papers she may have hidden. He held back a frustrated growl at finding only what seemed to be her savings. _stupid, that's tha first place someone'll look for cash._

He searched the entire apartment as best as he could, but had nothing to show. The human didn't even have a mobile phone! sans sighed. The entire night had been a waste of time and energy. He could have been sleeping! Or at the very least, he could have kept drinking. sans cast one final glare at the human sleeping before stepping sideways into a shortcut and disappearing.

Frisk woke with a start, barely keeping in the scream that had tried to escape her. She clutched at the sheets over her chest and looked about her apartment frantically. Light escaped out from behind the blanket she had over the window.

Frisk tried to slow her breathing. _Just a dream, it wasn't real._ She repeated silently. It took her some time to calm down, and once she did, she immediately made her way towards the shower, checking the clock as she passed. A little past ten. _I wonder what time Emily wants me over for lunch?_ Once in the bathroom, Frisk turned on the shower and set the water to _hot_.

Frisk jumped when someone pounded on her apartment door.

"Ruby! Ruby! Are you in there? You didn't forget about lunch, did you?" Frisk relaxed when she heard Emily's frantic voice. She put down her book and made her way over to the door to greet her enthusiastic friend.

"Oh, thank goodness! I was worried that you had gone out! I realized this morning that I didn't give you a time! _Duh, Emily!_ Hahaha! I mean, it was _such_ a hassle to walk all the way over to your apartment to check!" Emily joked as soon as Frisk opened the door. Her red curls bounced as she spoke too quickly for Frisk to get a word in edgewise. Frisk smiled. "But anyways! I was thinkin' we could just do sandwiches! I got them all made up already! And i got some snacks, too! I think you'll really like these pastries I got! They're the bees knees! Are you ready?" She asked, it took Frisk a moment to respond, surprised at the abrupt question. She simply nodded and stepped out into the hall, closing and locking the door behind her. Frisk looked up to see that Emily already had her door open and was waving her on in.

"I'm so happy you're here!" Emily began as soon as she closed the door behind her. "I told you before, but I'll say it again, the man in that apartment before you was a real bore. I mean, I've only lived in this apartment for three months, but I only ever saw him twice! I tried to greet him both times but he just ignored me! What a jerk! I'm so happy you're my neighbor now! We should go out on town some night! I know of some really fun drums! Here, sit down! I'll grab those sandwiches! I stuck them in the fridge in case you weren't home and I had to wait for you!" Frisk sat down at Emily's table and casually looked around the apartment, it was the same layout as Frisks', but Emily had a lot more personal belongings. Her apartment actually looked like something an adult would live in. Frisk stomped on the tendril of jealousy she felt. One day, she would have an apartment like this. Emily put a plate down in front of Frisk. "I hope you like egg-salad sandwiches! I just learned how to make them the other week and I haven't been able to stop eating them! They're so yummy and easy to make! Oh! And here," Emily put down a paper bag on the table, Frisk looked at it with a raised brow, "They're the pastries I was telling you about! I got them from this cute little bakery down the block. You'll have to try them! They're to die for! All the girls at work have been raving about them! I went into the bakery and almost screamed! There were spiders everywhere! At first I thought the girls were pullin' my leg! I thought to myself ' _No way this is that amazing bakery!'_ But then I saw the woman who owns the joint and I realized that the spiders in the shop weren't actual spiders! They were _monster_ spiders! And the owner? She's a giant monster spider! She's got _six_ arms! Six! And she has five eyes! I know it sounds scary, but she was actually very cute! She had on this gorgeous dress! I don't know how she kept it so clean! She was super friendly, too! At least, she was to me! Some dummerer come in, lookin' to beg and she was downright vicious to him! As soon as she realized he wasn't there for her wares, she had a whole bunch of spiders collectively throw the guy out! Right onto his bum outside! It was crazy!" Emily paused in her tirade to take a bite of her sandwich. She grunted in approval.

"That's quite a story, Emily, and this sandwich is just as good as you said it was." Frisk said with a smile. Emily, mouth still full, gave a big, closed mouth smile and pointed at the bag of pastries, then to Frisk. Frisk immediately took a pastry out of the bag. It smelled amazing. She took a big bite out of it and was pleasantly surprised when a sense of warmth flooded through her body. Magic _monster food._ She thought, enjoying the feeling. She rarely ate magic food. Grillby offered it, but he also had regular human food. Frisk usually opted for the more boring of the two as it was cheaper.

"Aren't they the best?" Emily gushed, having finished her bite of sandwich. Frisk nodded eagerly in agreement. "I thought the girls at work were exaggerating, but it's true! Anyways, Frisk, where do you work? You mentioned working nights the other day."

"Grillby's," Frisk said after quickly swallowing her bite of pastry.

"Oooh! I went there once, to the bar, it's so nice! Do you like working there? What's the deal with the flaming monster? Does he actually have connections to the mob? Do you ever worry that there's gonna be a gunfight at work? How often do you work there? We need to have a girls night when you have off!" Emily fired off question after question. Frisk slowly chewed a bit of pastry, buying time to think about her answers.

"I just started working there a little over a week ago, but I enjoy it so far. I don't really ask about the gang stuff, but I've heard he used to be close friends with the Don of the Groundskeepers. So they frequent his bar. You would never guess, it though. It's just like any other restaurant. I've asked him to work me five or six days a week, but I don't work Friday night, just in the morning." Frisk replied. Emily's eyes lit up at her answers.

"Friday night is perfect! I'm supposed to work, but I'll just ask another girl to cover for me! Should be easy, everyone wants Friday shifts! Where do you wanna go? Wait, you're new here! Duh, Emily! I know a drum that would be just perfect! We could get ready together! Does that sound good to you?" Frisk nodded with a smile. "Perfect!"

The two girls spent the next hour talking, that is, Emily spent the next hour talking with Frisk answering questions every once in a while. Around two, Emily announced that it was time for her nap.

"I'm sorry to kick you out, Rubz, but I need my afternoon nap! I get so grumpy when I skip it! I'm excited for Friday! Just come on over whenever you want and we can do each other's makeup! It's going to be so much fun! Tootles, Rubles!" Emily called out as Frisk opened her apartment, Frisk waved goodbye at Emily and went inside. She let out a huge yawn and figured she would follow in Emily's lead. A nap sounded great.

 **A/N:** **Hey guys, sorry it took me so long! I hit a bit of a block, I have the story all planned out, but I have trouble fleshing out the story, you know? I get caught up in how to develop the characters and the world. This is supposed to be prohibition era, but the technology is way advanced and the actual prohibition never happened. Both of these are thanks to the monsters coming to the surface about fifty years prior to this story. I figure with their magic and with how good the monsters were with the garbage that fell into the underground, their emergance helped advance technology in leaps and bounds! Really the only thing all that true to the twenties would be style and some slang. Idk, maybe I'll just make it sorta ambiguous, like in Archer! hahaha!**

 **Anyways, any feedback you have is much appreciated! And encouraged! I need all the advice I can get! Let me know if you have any questions! Oh, and if you read my other fics, don't worry, I've started working on Time and Time Again...again. I ran into the same problems there. Thankies! Later days!**


	5. Chapter 5: Shindig

Frisk gently knocked on Emily's door. The sun was starting to set and Frisk figured that it was a good time to start getting ready to go out. She gave a bright smile when Emily opened her apartment door.

"Ruby! I'm so excited! Come in, come in! I was just finishing my hair!" Emily explained, practically dragging Frisk into the small apartment. Frisk was again struck by how cute and complete Emily's apartment was. The girl even had a _vanity_ , full of makeup and hairstyling tools! Frisk felt a blush of excitement flare on her face.

"So what are you planning on doing, Rubz?" Emily asked.

"What do you mean?" Frisk replied, "I thought we were going out together?" She shot Emily a confused look, to which Emily responded to with a laugh.

"Obviously! I meant what do you plan on doing for your 'look' tonight? I still haven't decided what to wear, and you know I can't do my makeup until I know what I'm going to wear! But I don't want to stand out, so I figure I'll dress similar to you! I thought we could go to this one bar, Alibi, it's _great_! It's got a huge dance floor and the jazz band they have is hotsy-totsy! Plus, it's not too upscale, so the drinks should be pretty cheap! But I'm sure with the way we'll look tonight, we won't need to worry about buying our own drinks!" Emily let out a giggle, "There's this one fella who was there the other week, and you would not _believe_ how handsome he was! I can't remember his name for the life of me, but _goodness_ ," She dramatically fanned her face as she sat down in front of the vanity, "We danced half the night away! It was right outta a fairy tale! I hope he's there tonight, he had some mighty good looking friends I could introduce you to!" Frisk laughed in reply.

"Sounds like a plan, Emily." Was all she said. Emily beamed at her through her reflection in the mirror.

"Well, come on, Rubz! Sit on down next to me and let's do this! Did you bring any makeup over? Are you going to do anything with your hair? What outfit are you gonna wear?"

"Well… I don't actually... own any makeup," Frisk confessed. She continued, blushing at Emily's shocked face, "And I only have one dress suitable for going out, it's just a black dress. All my other clothes are pretty much for work or super casual."

"How do you live like that, Ruby? In this day and age!"

"Makeup just seemed expensive and I don't know how to use it. I didn't want to waste my money. The dress was a bit of an impulse buy, I found it on sale a few months back."

"Hmmm, well," Emily drawled, "How about this? You bring that dress over here; that way I can decide what _I_ should wear, and I'll do both of our makeup! I love doing makeup anyways!" Frisk smiled.

"I would love that! I'll be right back!" She said, already halfway out the door. Her grin grew as she dashed into her own apartment and grabbed her one and only dress off the back of her chair. She had just taken it to a laundromat and had paid a monster named Woshua to iron it. Luckily she didn't need to have it cleaned as she had yet to wear it. She raced back over to Emily's apartment.

Almost two hours later, Frisk stared at her reflection in awe. She barely recognized herself. Emily had curled Frisk's short brown hair into a fashionable bob and sprayed it with some sort of oil that made it shine like it never had before. Frisk's lips had been filled in the middle and thinned towards the outside with a dark red lipstick, giving them a heart-like shape. Her eyes had been lined with kohl, her lids darkened with a purple powder, and her lashes darkened with mascara. Emily had elongated Frisks eyebrows with khol as well and applied rouge to her cheeks. Frisk couldn't help but smile.

Emily had done very similar makeup to her own face, insisting that they match for the night. She had pinned up her longer hair to create a similar bob to Frisks. The major difference was their outfits. Frisk's dress was black and ended just below the knees. The dress was loose on Frisk's frame and flared a bit around her thighs. The sleeves were wide and ended just below her elbows. Emily had grimaced upon seeing Frisk's dress. She claimed that it was a few years out of fashion.

"But I can work with this!" She exclaimed before dashing across the apartment to her closet. Frisk watched as Emily rummaged through her overstuffed closet until the girl shouted in triumph and turned towards Frisk. She shoved some fabric into Frisk's hands.

"Put these on! It'll look super classy! You can keep them if you want; I never wear them anymore. I got them a year or two ago because I wanted to look more _mature_ and _sophisticated_ but then I realized that that just wasn't who I was, you know? I'm not an old lady, I'm young! These are the best years of my life, I'm going to enjoy them! I'm going to party! And dance and flirt with all the fine young men out there!" Emily prattled on while Frisk slipped on the gloves, smiling when they fit perfectly. Emily continued talking as she adjusted her own dress. Emily wore a white sleeveless dress that ended right above her knees. The dress had beads sewn into it to make it glitter in the light. It was tighter than Frisk's dress, showing off her curves. Emily wore strappy white heels and a pearl necklace.

"You look amazing." Frisk interrupted. Emily sputtered to a stop. She looked over at Frisk.

"Thank you, Ruby." She replied, blushing.

"You're welcome. You ready to go?"

"Ruby! I am shocked! Don't you know the first rule about going out?" Emily scolded. Frisk shook her head, confused. Emily jokingly rolled her eyes, "We need to _pre-game_ , silly." Emily explained as she walked over and pulled a bottle of liquor off the top of her fridge.

"Pre-game?"

"Yeah, we can't go to the bar sober, that'd be horrible! You have to get your buzz going early so that way you're nice and loose when you get there. Plus it saves some money. Better to do a few free shots here than pay for them at the bar, ya know?" Frisk stared as Emily poured out two shots of the amber liquid. She had never even heard of "pre-gaming". Emily handed one shot over to Frisk. Emily gave Frisk a sly look before raising her shot. Confused, Frisk mimicked the gesture.

"Here's to Hell! May our stay there be as fun as our way down there!" Emily exclaimed before knocking her shot against Frisks, bringing it down to tap the table, then downing the whole thing. Frisk stared at her.

"C'mon, Rubz! You gotta do it, too!" Emily said. Frisk swiftly copied her and nearly choked on the burning liquor. She coughed and sputtered as Emily good naturally slapped her on the back.

"What _was_ that?!" Frisk asked as soon as she could breathe again.

"Don't tell me you've never even had whiskey before, Ruby!" When Frisk shook her head, Ruby sighed and slapped her forehead, "So you only own one dress, you don't know how to do makeup, you've never pre-gamed before, and _now_ you're tellin' me you've never had whiskey?! Goodness!" Frisk blushed at Emily's exasperated tone.

"Sorry." She mumbled. Emily smiled at her.

"Don't be sorry, Ruby. I'll just have to show you the ropes. I'm very good at showing people how to have a fun time! It's a good thing that, out of all the people in the city, you've met me!" Emily paused, "Or maybe it's a bad thing, I might just corrupt you, after all!" She finished with a theatrically evil laugh. Frisk couldn't help but laugh at Emily's antics.

Emily's evil laughter turned genuine as she poured two more shots for the girls.

* * *

A bouncer held the door open for the two girls as they entered Alibi. Emily smiled flirtatiously at the muscular man as they walked past him and Frisk giggled. She was feeling _wonderful_. She felt as though she didn't have a single worry in the world. All that mattered was having fun! Emily grabbed Frisk's hand and led her over to the bar at the back of the club. It was a good thing Emily was leading because Frisk was awestruck by the place. Grillby's was nice, but this was a whole other level.

The entire club was decked out in creams, golds, and reds. Chendalers surrounded by crystals gave the club an ethereal cushioned couches lined the walls and the bar was so bright and shiny it didn't look real. A large band played on a stage and a stunning woman in a slinky red dress crooned into the microphone. The dance floor was ginormous and swimming with people, both human and monster.

"Ruby!" Frisk snapped her head around to look at Emily. Apparently that wasn't the first time she had called for her attention.  
"Sorry?"

"I said, what d'ya want to drink, silly!" Emily giggled. Frisk thought back to drinks her customers often ordered.

"A sidecar?" Frisk replied hesitantly. Emily nodded and turned back to the bartender to relay the order. The bartender gave a wink and began mixing up drinks.

"What did you get, Emily?" Frisk asked.

"I just got a whiskey and sours. You know what they say," Emily explained, "Whiskey makes you frisky!" Frisk's eyes widened before the words completely processed. For a moment she thought that Emily had said her real name. She laughed to cover up the awkwardness. Luckily, the bartender returned with their drinks at that moment. Frisk was shocked at the speed. _I guess he would have to be fast to keep up with this crowd,_ she thought silently to herself as she took a sip. It was amazing! Frisk took another sip and smiled brightly at Emily.

"How much do I owe ya, Fred?" Emily asked after returning Frisk's smile. The bartender gave her and Frisk a once over and another wink.

"Lookin' as lovely as you do and bringin' a friend just as lovely? Not a dime, bird. This round is on the house." He said with a friendly smile. Emily giggled and put down a bill on the bar.

"Thanks, Fred, you always make a girl feel loved!" She exclaimed. Fred slipped the bill into his pocket.

"Only you, Em, only you. You ladies have fun for me tonight, alright? I ain't gettin' off anytime soon, so I need you to have fun for me, got it?" He said in mock severity. Emily shot him a salute and a wink. Frisk hid a giggle behind her hand.

"You know we will!" She replied before leading Frisk away. "Don't worry 'bout Fred none. He's a total sweety. All talk. But you let him know if some fella is bothering you and he'll make sure it's dealt with! Now, come on! I wanta introduce you to somma my friends!" The faces the duo paced seemed to blur together to Frisk. She tried to focus on maintaining her balance as they worked their way through the crowd. She trusted Emily to lead her.

After what seemed like both an eternity and only a few seconds, Emily came to an abrupt halt. Frisk almost collided with her back before catching herself.

"Sorry." She said, laughter in her voice. Emily smiled back at her before turning and beaming at the people in front of her.

"There you are! We were lookin' all over the club for you!" She greeted them. Frisk looked at the strangers before her. There were two monsters and two humans. All men. Emily pulled Frisk up next to her and presented her before the group. "This is my new friend, Ruby! She's never been here before and I wanted to show her a good time!"

"Hey, Ruby, nice to meet you," One of the monsters, some sort of ice elemental, started, "I'm Paul, these are my boys: Henry, Bill, and Ray." He pointed to each in turn. Frisk gave a smile and shook each hand that was presented to her. While Paul continued, "So lookin' for a good time tonight, eh? I think we could help with that!"

"I was hopin' you would say that! You certainly showed me a good time last time I was here!" Emily gushed. Frisk realized that this was the guy she had been talking about when they were getting ready. Frisk had to admit, he was quite handsome, even though he seemed to be made out of ice. He was 6'5" and rocked a navy blue suit. Ice stuck out of his head like some sort of spikey hair and his "eyes" were two white spots that glowed with magic. All in all, he painted a very nice picture. His friends weren't too bad, either. Henry was an extremely tall bear monster. He looked more at his drink than anyone else. He looked like he could carry a full grown tree in one arm. Bill was a human with short, black hair. His skin was so dark it seemed to glow where the light hit it and made his brown eyes seem golden in comparison. He had a stunning smile that sent Frisk's heart fluttering. Ray had brown hair that was short on the sides, but long on top. He had it swept over to one side of his head. His eyes were almost silver and his skin was sun-kissed tan. The four men were a lot for Frisk to take in at once.

"What do you ladies say to starting off this night right?" Bill asked with a smile, "A good night always starts with a round of shots! On me, of course." Emily pulled Frisk closer.

"We would love to!"

An hour later found the group laughing hysterically at one of Paul's jokes. They were all feeling the buzz. Frisk couldn't help but notice Paul's eyes sliding over to Emily whenever he cracked a joke, as if checking for her reaction. She also noticed Emily very slowly moving closer and closer to Paul until they were almost touching. Frisk smirked at the two. _Those two would make a great couple._ She thought to herself. She giggled at the thought.

"Somethin' funny?" Ray asked, causing the group to look at Frisk. She blushed.

"No-no. Just the booze, I think. I don't drink much." She explained, looking away.

"That reminds, me! We still gotta show Ruby how to party! We need to hit the dancefloor!" Emily exclaimed, she tugged on Paul's sleeve, "Wanna be my partner?" She asked, looking up at him through her eyelashes. Paul smirked.

"I was just about to ask you the same question." He replied before offering his hand. Emily took it and the two turned to walk to the dancefloor.

"I'll join you all in just a minute," Frisk said, "I need a water." Before anyone could say anything, she made her way over to the bar. Luckily her buzz wasn't so bad that she lost her balance, but when she reached the bar, she leaned heavily against it. She was already tired and it was barely past midnight! She let out a small laugh at herself. She worked way later than this without a problem. Who knew that partying was more work than… well, working?

"What'll it be this time, cutie?" Fred asked when he made his way over to Frisk. She smiled up at him.

"Just a water for right now, please." Fred gave a knowing smile and nodded.

"Good idea, better stay hydrated. Plus keeps the hangover at bay." He advised as he filled a glass with cold water. Frisk reached for her purse, but Fred stopped her.

"Water is always free, here, dear." He explained.

"Oh, thank you." She replied before unceremoniously taking a large gulp of water. The cold water felt amazing going down her throat. She sighed happily as she rested the glass on the bar.

"I know exactly how you feel." A deep voice said from her left. She looked over to see a tall man wearing a white suit staring down at her. He was pale and his hair was blonde and slicked back. His eyes were so dark they almost appeared black, giving him an almost ghastly appearance. He gave her a charming smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry?" She said, not understanding what he meant. He chuckled at her and leaned closer, reaching an arm on the bar to balance himself.

"The water, I know how you feel. I needed a glass myself after dealing with this crowd. Not to mention the drinks are nice and strong, gotta be careful, ya know?" He explained, shooting a wink at her. Frisk simply hummed in agreement and took another long drink of her water. She wanted to finish quickly and get back to the group.

"So, what's a pretty dame like you doin' here all by herself? Should be a crime, you bein' left alone." The man said, leaning towards her more. Frisk took a small step back, and put her glass on the bar. When she stepped back, she thought she saw the man frown, but it was so quick she wasn't quite sure.

"I'm here with friends." She replied. The man's eyes narrowed, but his smile stayed.

"Oh? Where are your friends? Seems rude to send a pretty thing like you to the bar by herself." The man asked.

"They're close by. I should really be getting back to them. Have a good night." Frisk replied before starting to walk away.

"Hold on a second," The man said, grabbing her arm roughly. Frisk glared at him and yanked her arm back, but couldn't break his hold.

"Sorry, sorry," The man took his hand off of her and held both up in the air in mock surrender, "I just didn't catch your name, is all, baby." He explained, looking at her expectantly.

"That's because I didn't throw it." Frisk said as she turned and walked quickly away from the creepy man. She made her way back to where she had last seen the group. When she didn't see them immediately, she walked straight to the dancefloor without stopping. She didn't want to be alone in case that guy followed her. Thankfully Henry was easy to spot in the crowd. Most monsters were tall, but Henry took the cake. He had to be over eight feet! Frisk sighed in relief and fought her way through all the people dancing. To her surprise, Henry was dancing by himself, everyone else was nearby, but they had partnered off. Frisk nervously stepped nest to Henry.

"Mind if I join you?" Frisk asked with a smile. Henry looked down at her in surprise, having not seen her.

"I don't, um, actually dance _with_ other people, if you get me. Sorry." Frisk had to strain to hear his response, he spoke too quietly for the loud dance floor, "It's just, that, well, I have a girlfriend, so I don't really like to dance with other people."

"That's okay, I'll dance with you, but not _with_ you, if that's okay?" Frisk asked. She let out a sigh of relief when Henry nodded yes. She watched him for a moment as well as the people around her and tried to copy what seemed to be the easiest dance. _I feel silly_. She thought to herself as she did a little hopping jig. She kept an eye out for Mr. Creepy, but couldn't help but let out a laugh at how ridiculous she felt. She was a bit embarrassed, yes, but she was having a blast! She felt herself get looser and looser as the music went on.

Eventually Emily came over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"We all need a water break, Rubz, you comin'?" She asked. It took a moment for Frisk to realize what she was saying and once she did, she nodded. She was sweating like crazy and felt a little dizzy from all the vigorous dancing. She grabbed onto Emily's hand for support and let her lead her out of the crowd and toward the bar. She barely registered that they had made it to their destination before leaning heavily against the bar. _Musta had too much to drink_. Frisk thought to herself as the room began to swim slightly. Emily handed her a glass of water and asked a question but Frisk couldn't really hear her. She took the water and downed the entire thing. Much to her dismay, she found it didn't make her feel any better. The room continued to spin slowly.

"I'm gonna go t'the bath'm." The mumbled to Emily before walking towards the back of the club where she had seen the restrooms earlier. She needed to get away from all the noise for a moment.

Frisk was almost halfway there when she tripped over something. She didn't know if it was someone else, a chair, or her own feet. She barely even registered that she was going down. Before her face could make contact with the floor, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back up to her feet. The arm pulled her close and she allowed herself to lean on whoever's body it was.

"Nice to see you again." A familiar voice purred into her ear. Frisk felt goosebumps go down her spine. She looked up and tried to concentrate on the face in front of her. Her eyesight was starting to blur and all she could make out was pale blonde hair and dark eyes. Warning bells went off in her head, but she didn't know why. All she knew was that this person was the only thing between her and the floor so she was grateful.

"Who're you?" She slurred.

"You can call me Sunny, babe. Now, what are you doing alone this time?" The man responded. It took Frisk a minute to figure out what he was saying.

"Don't feel good. Goin ta the rest'oom." Frisk said, leaning even more heavily on Sunny. The felt a laugh reverberate through his chest.

"That'll happen to ya when you drink and dance, like you've been doin'. What do you say, instead of goin' to the powder room, I take you home and make you feel all better?" Sunny asked, leaning in to whisper into Frisk's ear. His hot breath against her made her shudder.

"But I'm wi'my friends." Frisk protested, knowing, somehow, that she had to get away from this man.

"They already left, baby. You're all alone now. C'mon, it'll be fine. Let me make you feel all better." He whispered, Frisk tried to move away from the man, but his grip on her tightened.

"They wouldnta left me."She protested, trying to figure out who this man was and why he seemed so familiar.

"They thought you went home, they told me themselves. C'mon, baby, I'll take good care of you. Let's go." Sadness overcame Frisk at the thought of her friends leaving her. Normally, she didn't make many friends, so she considered them precious when she did. It hurt her to think they really left her behind. Tears started pooling in her eyes. A rough hand wiped them away.

"None of that, now. Not till later. Gotta get outta here before you start the waterworks." Sunny said as he started steering her towards a side exit. Frisk stumbled and Sunny ended up half carrying her across the club.

"I don't wanna go with you. Wanna g'home." She protested, attempting to shove her hands against Sunny's chest, but they flopped back to her sides and she forgot about pushing away.

"Don't be like that, I'm gonna take real good care of you. Don't you worry." Frisk slowly shook her head at his words, where did her friends go?

"Nooooo." Frisk mumbled weakly. She could barely make sense of the scene around her. There were so many colors and noises and she was so _dizzy_. Her legs stopped walking altogether. With a slight grunt, Sunny picked her up bridal style.

"You're comin' with me, whether you want to or not. Don't worry, it'll all be worth it." He said to her, but she was beyond comprehending. She was so tired and dizzy and all she wanted was to go to bed. Her eyes started drooping shut.

"That's it, just go to sleep." Sunny murmured. Grinning as he closed in on the exit.

"you know, pal, i'm pretty sure that when a lady says 'no', she means 'no'." A deep voice said from behind Sunny. He stopped and turned to reply.

"She's just drunk, doesn't know what she's sayin'. I'm gonna take her-" Sunny cut off as he realized there was no one behind him. He looked around in confusion before shrugging and turning back to the exit. Sunny let out a small yelp and jumped back. Right in front of him was an honest-to-God skeleton. And not just any skeleton. Sunny would recognize this guy anywhere. It was _The Reaper_. The skeleton stood about the same height as Sunny, dressed in a navy pinstripe suit with a white shirt and red tie. He had a fedora tipped low over his eyes and a cigar in his mouth.

"gunna take her where, _pal?"_ The Reaper asked. Sunny gulped audibly.

"Just, uh, back to her place. Put her to bed, ya know. Make sure she's safe and whatnot." Sunny replied, beginning to sweat. Frisk, jostled a bit awake by Sunny's jump looked blearily at the skeleton.

"Sans?" She mumbled, almost too quiet to hear. Sunny paled and took a step back.

"yeah, sweetheart, it's me. you're least favorite regular." sans replied, keeping an eye on Sunny.

"You know him?" He asked Frisk, but she was starting to fall asleep again and didn't understand.

"you could say that." sans answered for her, "now, how did you say you knew her, again?"

"Um.. well.. You see...th-the thing is…"Sunny stammered, stepping back even further. sans's eyes snapped up to the pale man.

"if the next words that come outta your ugly mouth are lies, i gotta tell you, friend, i'm not gonna be very happy with you." sans warned. His right eye went dark and his left flashed with blue light. As soon as it happened, it went back to normal. Sunny blinked, wondering if he imagined it. sans shrugged and added, "but how 'bout this: you give me the girl, walk away, and leave the club without botherin' anyone else, and i'll pretend this never happened. deal?"

sans almost had to use his magic to catch Frisk at the speed that Sunny handed her over. The man practically ran through the club to get to another exit. sans chuckled. Sometimes his reputation was worth it when he got reactions like that out of slimeballs like Sunny. sans glanced down at the sleeping girl in his arms and sighed. This girl was just too much trouble. He had come out to meet with some of his connections in neutral ground. He had just finished trading information when he saw the girl drinking water at the bar. He watched with narrowed eyes when Sunny had leaned in towards her, suspicion creeping up when he seemed to drop something in her water as he did so. When he saw her begin to stumble on the way back to the bar with her friends, his suspicions were confirmed. The girl had been drugged. With an annoyed groan, sans decided to help her out. He didn't like the girl, but for some stars-forsaken reason, Grillby did. He owed it to the flame elemental to help the girl out. He glared down at the now completely unconscious girl.

"you owe me a drink...or twenty." He grumbled. He stepped into a shortcut and appeared next to the bar. Fred quickly came over to serve him, already knowing who the skeleton was.

"How may I help you, Sir?" He asked nervously. He eyed Frisk in The Reapers arms and swallowed nervously.

"tell her friends that i'm takin' her home. some guy tried to drug her and sneak off w'her." sans instrucked. He didn't wait for confirmation before disappearing into another shortcut. Fred stared at the spot for a moment before slowly banging his head against the bar once. He wished that tonight had been his night off.


	6. Chapter 6: Haunted Rhymes with Hunted

**Chapter 6**

Frisk woke with the absolute _worst_ headache she had ever had. The pounding in her head seemed to be audible. She burrowed deeper into her blanket, hoping to smother out the headache. Why did her head hurt _so much?_ She groaned and curled up tighter. Confusion overtook her when she realized that she had shoes on. _What? How tired was I last night?_ _Wait, what did I do last night?_ It took Frisk a moment to remember going out with Emily the night before, but she could not, for the life of her, remember how she got home. _Did I really drink that much?_ There was no other way to put it, Frisk felt like absolute _shit._ The last thing she really remembered was going to get water with Emily and the rest of the group. However it happened, Frisk was just happy to have gotten home safe.

She slowly opened her eyes, squinting in confusion at the faint light filtering through her blanket. Did she take down her curtain last night? Frisk shot up and threw her blanket off, jumping off of her bed despite the agony it caused her head. She didn't realize until she actually reached the window that the curtain was still up and it was dark outside. Her sigh of relief quickly turned into a pained groan. Frisk clutched her head. Keeping her eyes closed against the harsh light, Frisk stumbled back towards her bed, blindly fumbling for the lamp on the floor by her bed. Once she flicked it off, Frisk gently opened her eyes and kicked off her shoes. She was about to crawl back into bed when a shiver went down her spine.

She froze. Behind her, she could hear a gentle _tap, tap, tap._ She slowly looked behind her, but saw nothing in the pitch black apartment. She could have sworn she felt someone watching her. She broke out into a cold sweat and her heart started thumping frantically. The tapping sounded like it was coming from her coffee table. Whatever or _who_ ever was making the noise was close to the door. Her window didn't have a fire escape, she had specifically made sure of that before she moved in. Now she wished she hadn't. She had one large knife, but it was in the kitchen area near the door, too. No good. She couldn't remember where she had put her purse when she got home, which still had her pocket knife in it. Barely daring to breathe, Frisk slowly, quietly tried to feel around the floor near her bed, praying to every god she had ever heard of that her purse was there. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she found nothing. The tapping seemed to get louder. The sound was horrifyingly familiar and if it weren't for the headache Frisk had woken up with, she would have thought this was another nightmare. _The window. If I can make it out the window, I can figure it out from there._ She thought, knowing that "figure it out" really meant "fall to my death". But it might be better than the alternative. She might survive the fall, or maybe she'd be able to grab onto the ledge of the window below hers. _Maybe._

Frisk began to creep back towards the window, her headache forgotten in the adrenaline rush. She knew once she reached the window, she would have to move quickly. Whoever _he_ had sent after her would see her as soon as she opened the window. Frisk kept low to the ground and tried to slow her heart, sure that whoever was in the apartment with her could hear it.

 _It's not him, he wouldn't be here. It's night. He can't be here. It's not him. It's not him._ She silently chanted to herself as the tapping continued. She stopped breathing and concentrated on listening for any movement from whoever was doing it. Her foot hit the back wall by the window and she froze. The tapping stopped. Frisk waited, but she didn't hear any other movement from the mystery person. _One...two...three...NOW!_

Frisk spun around, flinging the curtain back and grasping for the lock on her window. She slammed the window open the second she unlocked it. She was halfway out when a painful grasp on her arm yanked her back inside. Frisk clawed at the hand on her arm uselessly. She tried to kick at her assailant, but they moved too quickly for her to land a blow. Desperate, Frisk leaped forward and tried to bite the arm holding her.

"what the shit?!" Yelled a familiar voice, letting Frisk go, "did you just try to _bite_ me?"

" _sans?_ " Frisk asked, shocked. Frisk ran over and turned on her light, conveniently putting some distance between her and the skeleton. Said skeleton gave her a death glare. Frisk returned it.

"good detective skills, _sweetheart_. yeah, it's me." sans retorted. Frisk looked around her apartment for her purse, spotting it by the door. sans caught her looking in that direction and moved to block her escape.

"What are you doing _in my apartment?_ " Frisk demanded. She straightened her back and put her hands on her hips, trying to look intimidating. Trying not to show just how much her mind was reeling. She quickly looked behind her to make sure that she hadn't ripped the curtain off when she had tried to escape.

"i would advise against that route, it would only end in _pane_." sans pulled out a cigar and lit it before taking a long drag. Frisk shot him a dirty look, she hated the smell of cigars. She walked slowly to the window, closed it, and snapped the lock in place. Once she was done, she turned and faced sans, glaring. The skeleton rolled his eye-lights and exhaled. A puff of smoke escaped between his teeth.

"look, i ain't here to hurt ya, kid." sans explained. Frisk raised a single eyebrow and waited. sans let out an irritated huff before continuing, "what do ya remember from last night?"

Frisk's other eyebrow rose at the question. She didn't see where this was going and her headache was starting to make itself known again.

"Last thing I remember is Emily leading me to the bar to get some water."

"sounds 'bout right. that's about when some creep tried to spirit you off somewhere." Frisk's eyes widened. This was news to her.

"Explain."

"do ya remember goin' to the bar to get water by yourself? an' do ya remember the slimo guy who talked to ya at the bar?" sans continued as Frisk nodded in affirmation, "well i'm pretty sure he slipped somethin' into yer water while he was trying to shmooze ya. 'bout twenty minutes later, you were stumblin' all over the place. next thing i know, he's carryin' your unconscious body out the back door. i know grillbz is fond of ya, so i intervened. told the bartender at the club t'tell yer friends i had ya. yer neighbor stopped by around noon." Frisk grasped onto that last sentence like a drowning man to a straw. She looked over to her clock on the wall it read 11:30.

"Are you telling me….that I slept almost a full 24 hours?" She asked, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. sans took another long drag on his cigar before replying.

"yup." Was all he offered. Frisk held her head between her hands. _I was almost taken. I was almost taken._ sans _saved me. I was almost taken._ Frisk concentrated on breathing. One deep breath in, one out. Repeat.

"anyways, only reason i'm still here is cuz grillbz asked me to make sure you woke up. i phoned him when when i got you here. he promised to give me a few rounds on th' house for stayin' with ya, and me bein' the generous, carin' guy i am, how could i refuse?" sans chuckled.

"Wait." Frisk said, holding up a hand. She raised her head to look at the skeleton, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "If you didn't call Grillby until after you brought me here and you didn't talk to my friends, how did you know where I lived?" Frisk rose back into a standing position. When sans didn't answer, she took a step toward him, angry red splotches rising on her cheeks.

"listen, dollface, in my line of work ya-" Before he could finish his sentence, Frisk broke into a sprint for the front door, surprising the skeleton mobster. Before he could turn towards her, she had fished her knife out of her purse and stood with it facing him. She reached behind her and made sure the door was unlocked, but didn't run yet.

"Drop the bullshit and tell me. How. Did. You. Know. Where. I. Lived." Frisk demanded. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead. If sans was able to find her home so quickly, would others be able to as well?

"you threatenin' me, dollface?" sans asked so quietly Frisk almost didn't hear him. A shiver of fear crept down her back. sans' eye sockets were pitch black, his smile sharp and dangerous. Frisk suddenly remembered his gang name. The Reaper. You don't get that kind of nickname for planting daisies in the park. This monster was dangerous.

"A mobster with a big reputation I just met the other day is in my house. When he shouldn't know where I live. And I'm alone with him. Can't blame me for wanting some protection." Frisk replied, hiding her fear. "Now tell me, how did you find my home?"

"put the knife down, _ruby_." sans took a menacing step towards her. He put out his cigar on her table. Frisk raised the knife higher.

"Not until you tell me how you found my home." She replied.

"heh. so i save yer sorry ass from what was bound to be a bad time, and this is the thanks i get? a knife in my face and you demandin' answers from me? you got balls. i admire that. really, i do. but i think it's time to stop playing." sans raised his left hand and his left eye flashed with blue light and blue smoke trailed out of the socket. Frisk gasped as the knife in her hand was surrounded by a blue light and increased in weight. The knife was ripped from her grasp and slammed into the floor with an unrealistic amount of force. Without hesitating, Frisk turned to open the door and make a break for it, but before she could make even one step, the blue light surrounded her feet and they were held in place.

"i think it's time for you to take a seat, kiddo." sans said. He pointed at her, then pointed at her bed. Frisk suppressed a scream as she flew across the room to land roughly on her bed. sans smirked down at her and leaned against the back of her chair. Frisk made to get up again, but sans just used his magic against her and forced her back down. She stiffened and glared, causing sans to mutter, "yeah, yeah, you're very intimidatin'. now, i got some questions fer ya, now that we have some one on one time. first of all, what's yer real name?"

"Ruby."

"try again, dollface. i can smell a fake name when i see one. 's part of my job description. you react a little too slow to people callin' you ruby." sans explained while examining his philanges, but Frisk could see him peeking at her through the corner of his eyes.

"I have a hard time hearing people at the bar." Frisk replied without missing a beat.

"nah, that's not it. see, sweetheart, i think yer name is frisk." sans replied, still not looking directly at her. Frisk could feel all the color drain from her face.

"What?" Her voice came out cracked, quiet.

"yer, name, dollface, it's fri-" before sans could finish the name, Frisk had shot up and dashed over to him, intent on attacking him, silencing him. Making sure that he never told another living soul that name. She moved so quickly that she almost grabbed sans's shirt before he could react and throw her back onto the bed with his magic. sans grinned sharpley at her and scolded, "yer gonna hafta try harder than that to get me. i do shit like this fer a livin'. so, _frisk,_ mind tellin' me why yer goin' by 'ruby'?"

sans sighed when frisk didn't reply.

"look, you seem like a nice girl, grillbz likes ya, and he hardly likes anyone. so that says a lot of ya, but in my line o'work, ya can't be too careful, ya dig? just answer my questions, and we can forget this ever happened. what do ya say?" sans offered, his eyelights returning to normal. Frisk thought furiously. What was the best route to go? If she tried to make a break for it, he would just use his magic against her again, and she really didn't want to piss him off. She felt that that would end poorly for her. But she couldn't tell him the truth. She couldn't anyone the truth. But she could tell part of the truth. Surely that would be safe, right?

"Fine." She bit out as she moved to sit at the edge of the bed and straightened her back. This would require _very_ quick thinking. sans let out a relieved sigh.

" _finally._ yer costin' me a lot of time. time i could be usin' to sleep or drink….or sleep! I'm _bone tired_ cuz a' you." sans sat down on the floor, resting his back against Frisk's chair as if to emphasize just how exhausted he was, "now then, back to question numba one, why the fake name?"

"Someone is trying to find me. I don't want to be found." Frisk answered as she stared him right in the eye.

" _no shit,_ why else would anyone take a fake name? let me be a bit more specific: who's tryin' to find ya?" sans asked, glaring.

"A man. A-a bad man. Who hurt me. A lot." Frisk admitted. It was the first time she had ever told anyone that much, so the discomfort she showed was genuine. sans cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.

"i see." he said, scratching the back of his skull. "sorry to hear that, that's rough. i've known a few people who have been in that kinda relationship, it's hard to get out of." sans admitted. Frisk felt guilty, but did not correct him; she simply shrugged.

"so, anyways, next question, what's yer last name, frisk?" sans asked, breaking the awkward silence. Frisk looked back up at him.

"I don't know my real last name, I really am an orphan, but I was given the name Terain a few years ago." Frisk said quietly. Thankfully she had no documents or paper trail with that name, and only one person knew it, so he wouldn't be able to trace much from her. Hopefully.

sans hummed in thought.

"I think it's my turn to ask a question." Frisk said, steering the conversation away from the details of her life, "Like, how did you know where I live?"

"oh, that's easy. i followed you home one night." sans replied offhandedly.

"Excuse me?" Frisk stared, eyes wide.

"what? how else do you think i did it? you didn't even tell grillbz your address. an' it wasn't that hard." sans waved his hand in dismissal. Frisk felt icy cold. _Wasn't that hard? To_ follow _me home? But I take the back ways and dark alleys! And I make sure no ones ever behind me!_

"When did you do it?" Frisk demanded. Voice cold and sharp. sans looked at her, sensing that maybe he shouldn't have admitted that.

"the night i stopped you behind grillbz. followed you from there. right to yer door." sans explained, his voice casual. As if stalking random girls was an every day activity for him. "just hadta duck outta sight whenever you stopped to look around."

"Why?"

"so you wouldn't see me, why el-"

"You know that's not what I'm asking." Frisk interrupted. sans groaned in annoyance.

"cuz i don't trust ya, genius. yer new, went by a fake name, wouldn't even tell yer boss yer address, you didn't talk much about yerself - why would i trust ya near my buddy? a lot of my... _friends_ … frequent grillby's. i hadta make sure you didn't have any ulterior motives fer workin' at that specific bar. my friends and i got a lotta people who would love some information on us. can't be too careful. plus, i just plain don't like ya." sans finished with a shake of his head. Frisk ignored the insult and silently admitted he had a point. It was still wrong of him to follow her like that, but she understood that level of paranoia.

"Fine. How did you know my name?" Frisk asked. She could count on one hand the amount of people who knew her real name. There was no way sans could have found it. No possible way… unless-

"you told me last night while i was puttin' you in yer bed. woke up enough to get all pissy at me fer callin' you 'the wrong name'. heh. guess you gettin' drugged helped me out in the end." sans chuckled. Frisk groaned and smacked her forehead. Of course that's what happened. Years of playing it safe, lying, taking shady jobs just so her bosses wouldn't ask questions and she spills the beans because she was drugged and pissed that someone called her 'the wrong name'.

"Darn it." She groaned as she lowered her head in disappointment.

"look, i get that you're upset, but let's watch the fucking language." sans mockingly admonished. Frisk glared at him. He _would_ find this entertaining. _Dick,_ she thought silently at him.

"Very funny," was all she said, though.

"i know, i'm a real comedian," sans replied, "but anyways, all this seems like an awful lot of effort just to get away from an abusive ex. i couldn't find anythin' on ya, and i'm good at findin' shit out about people. so forgive me for sayin', but i still don't trust you. ya still reek of spy" Frisk sighed. She had hoped that he was done questioning her. A humiliated blush crept onto her cheeks. She pulled off the gloves that Emily had lent her last night. sans shot her a confused look.

"Don't breathe a word of this. To anyone. Promise?" Frisk asked, clutching her left sleeve in her right hand.

"i don't make promises, kid." sans replied, staring at her hand, curious.

"I'm not a kid. And fine, I won't ask you to promise, but please know that I don't want anyone to know about this. Not even Grillby. This isn't your secret to share, sans." Frisk waited until sans nodded in acknowledgement. Then a moment more. She took a deep breath and pulled up her sleeve until it almost reached her shoulder. She heard sans's sharp inhale and winced. She knew what he saw. Starting about halfway up her upper arm, a mass of scar tissue crisscrossed. It had been years since a new one was added, but some of them were still red and raised, having been cut open again and again. Looking away, she slowly lowered her sleeve.

"Believe me, now?" Frisk asked, still not looking at him.

"ye-yeah. i believe you." sans replied, his voice cracking a little, "but seriously, what the fuck?"

"Yeah, well, like I said; he was a bad man and he hurt me. A lot," Frisk swallowed, "Please don't tell anyone. It's not something I like to advertise." She asked of him, finally facing the skeleton. sans nodded.

"okay," was all he said before standing up and walking toward the door, "well, this has certainly been… er… enlightening, but think it's time for me to go. later." sans made a quick escape through the door, closing it with more force than necessary behind him. Frisk glared at the door. Once she was sure he wasn't going to bust back in, she let out a sigh of relief. Her breath started to hitch and she could feel the swell of tears building up. With no one to see, she let them fall.

AN:

Hey guys, sorry this took so long! I know it's short and dialogue heavy, but I had a hard time writting this. I couldn't decide if I wanted sans there when Frisk woke up or if I wanted her to find out later how she got home, but I felt this would help move the plot along a little faster. If you've read my other works, you know how bad I am at moving plot along (sorry fans of Time and Time Again! I'll try to update that soon, I know it's been _years_ ).

Anyways! Thank you all for all your lovely reviews! They help keep me motivated and Determined!

OH before I forget, Frisks last name "Terain" is a German name that means Strong Willed and Determined. I thought it would go nicely with the story, but if you guys don't like it, don't worry, it will very rarely be brought up. Might be mentioned in the next chapter, but not much more.

Let me know what you thought! Have a great day! And thank you for taking the time to read my work, I really appreciate it!

(sorry for any errors, I'm the worst at spelling and grammar!)


	7. Chapter 7: Spider Dance

**Chapter 7**

"Ruby, this martini is to _die_ for!" Emily exclaimed after taking the first sip of her drink. Frisk smiled at her best friend, who was currently sitting at Grillby's bar. Emily had pounded on Frisk's door earlier in the day, the biggest grin Frisk had ever seen on her face. She proceeded to tell Frisk that she had the day off and wanted to do "something fun". It had near broken Frisk's heart to tell Emily that she had picked up a shift that night. Emily, not one to let a little bump get in the way of her plans, had simply told Frisk that she would come with her to work!

Frisk had been a little nervous about how Grillby would react to her friend hanging out around the bar, but he didn't mind so long as Frisk wasn't too distracted from her job. Frisk promised that she wouldn't be. Luckily, it was a slow night, so Frisk had plenty of time to talk to Emily while she worked.

"I'm glad you like it, but you should tell Grillby, he _is_ the one that made it." Frisk replied with a smile.

"Oops!" Emily swiveled her head to find the fire monster, "You are aboslute bees-knees, Mr. Grillby!" Frisk could almost swear she saw faint tints of pink flame where Grillby's cheeks were. She couldn't blame him, though. Emily was beautiful, inside and out.

"Just Grillby is fine." The bartender replied, nodding his head in thanks.

"Oh, well then, _Just Grillby_ , you are the absolute bees-knees!" Emily repeated, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Grillby's flames hissed and popped as he let out a small laugh. Frisk raised a brow at him; normally Grillby wasn't affected by patrons attempts at humor. Seeing the look, Grillby shrugged. Frisk tossed him an understanding smile and continued polishing the silverware in front of her.

"So, Ruby, I was thinking…."Emily began, Frisk looked over at the girl, confused. She sounded hesitant, and Emily was anything but. "I know that last time didn't work out well, and you had a really bad experience, so I totally understand if you don't want to, but I was thinking maybe, if you're okay with it, we could try to go out together again? Only if you're comfortable!" Emily rushed. She wasn't looking at Frisk when she asked. She was staring intently at the martini before her, shoulders hunched.

It had been almost two weeks since the incident at Alibi. The day after Frisk had woken up from the drugging, Emily had burst into her apartment, food and tea at the ready as well as a thousand tearful apologies. Frisk had almost cried herself, overwhelmed by someone caring so much for her. The two girls had practically been attached at the hip since that night, only seperating when they had to work.

"I would love to try again, Em." Frisk replied, putting a hand on Emily's shoulder. She could feel Emily relax and shot her a gentle smile.

"Oh, Ruby! I'm so happy! I promise this time will be so, so much different! We'll pregame at my apartment, no drinks at the bar! And we'll go to a different club! I was getting bored of Alibi anyways! I've heard of this great new bar, it's called Celestite! I heard it was named after the glowing crystals in the Underground that looked like stars or something! They always have great bands! And I heard that the gangs don't usually hang out there, so we don't have to worry about too much danger!" Emily explained, energy returning as she went on, "And we could go dress shopping and get you something more modern! Maybe in red! I feel like you would look amazing in red!"

"heh." Frisk stiffened when she heard the all-too familiar chuckle. Emily whipped her head around and gave a little yelp when she found sans sitting right next to her. The stool had been empty a few seconds ago. Frisk had seen sans around since the incident, but they had avoided each other. Both feeling awkward.

"Something funny?" Frisk asked, ice lacing her voice. Emily looked wide-eyed at her. Emily knew exactly who the skeleton was. Frisk had filled her in after the incident and now Emily was caught between fear and anger towards the skeleton. He was one of the most notorious gangsters in the city, with a rumoured body-count to rival the actual Grim Reaper, but on the other hand, he had continuously insulted and creeped out her best friend. But then again, he did save Ruby. But he had stalked her to her house before that. Emily decided to treat him with neutrality.

"jus' thinkin', _ruby_ dressed all in red. sorta fittin' innit?" sans replied, looking at Frisk with a smirk. Frisk narrowed her eyes at sans, unsure if he was making fun of her or just trying to crack a joke to break the tension. Not sure what to say, she simply shrugged.

"still can't take a joke, kid?" sans scoffed. Frisk rolled her eyes.

"For the last time, I'm not a kid. I'm 22." She crossed her arms and gave the skeleton a glare.

"22? _such_ an adult." sans muttered, raising the bottle of ketchup to his mouth. Frisk quickly reached out and _squeezed_ the bottle, causing the ketchup to burst out and splatter all over sans' face.

The bar went silent.

Frisk stepped back, hands over her mouth, eyes wide. sans' eyes were blank, his hand still holding the ketchup bottle. Ketchup slowly dripped off of his face. The skeleton's permanent grin seemed even more intimidating and Emily slowly inched away.

"I-I am so sorry, sans, I don't know what came over me." Frisk snapped into action, grabbing the nearest clean rag she could find, she reached out towards his face to clean off the ketchup. _I am so fired. I am so dead. I am so fired. I am so dead,_ her mind kept screaming. Her hand froze mere inches from sans' face when she noticed the skull shaking.

"heh...heh heh. heh-hahahahaha!" sans burst out laughing, the suddenness causing Frisk to jump back again and clutch the rag to her chest. She looked over to Emily, _What the fuck?_ Emily shrugged, _I have no idea._

"Are you….are you okay, sans?" Frisk asked, unsure of how to proceeed. She nearly screamed when a warm hand landed on her shoulder.

"He's fine, Ruby," Grillby said, looking down at the human.

"oh, man, you- haha!- you should have seen your face!" sans pointed at Frisk, other hand on his ribcage. He didn't even seem to notice the ketchup sliding down his face. His eyelights had returned and he caught Frisk's eye.

"it's been a while since i've had a _really_ good laugh, thanks, _kid._ yer face cured me of all my _ales_ ," sans said with pointed look at the beer taps. Frisk felt her temper flare again, forgetting entirely the fear that had overcome her just moments ago.

"You're one to talk, bonehead, you look like you're doing a poor impersonation of a tomato. All round and red." She snapped. sans' laughter cut off and he shot her a glare.

"and who's fault would that be?" He demanded.

"You started it."

"did not."

"Did so! You kept calling me a 'kid'!"

"ain't a good enough reason ta dump my drink all over me. i'm a payin' customer." sans retorted, reaching over and yanking the rag out of Frisks hands to mop off his face. Grillby cleared his throat.

"I wouldn't call you a _paying_ customer. You haven't paid your tab in months." He interrupted, leveling sans with a glare.

"er... i'm a customer that's _gonna_ be payin'." sans amended.

"He does have a point, Ruby. This is not how we treat our customers, regardless of whether or not they've paid their obscenely large tabs." Grillby scolded. Frisk blushed a furious red.

"I'm sorry Grillby." She murmured. Emily reached over the bar and put a comforting hand on her arm. Frisk shot Emily a grateful smile.

"I'll look over this one incident, Ruby. Only because there's not many people here to have seen it and sans _did_ start it." Grillby shot the skeleton a glare when he tried to interrupt, "Just try to exercise more self control in the future." With that last warning, Grillby walked to the other side of the bar to finish polishing the martini glasses. Frisk and sans glared at each other for a moment, then sans smirked at her.

"don't worry, _kid_ , i'll get ya back fer this." he said, casually taking a sip of the remainder of the ketchup. A chill went down Frisks back, but she didn't let any fear show.

"Bring it on, _bonehead."_ She hissed back at him.

"yer gonna regr-"

"SANS!" Frisk, Emily, and sans all jumped at the loud voice. Marching towards the bar was a tall, blue fish monster with hair even more red than Emily's. A black eyepatch covered her left eye and she wore a black pinstripe suit. The glare she had could melt steel.

"aw, shit." sans muttered before chugging the rest of the ketchup. Frisk looked between the two monsters. Was this woman his girlfriend?

"Sans! Why the HELL weren't you answering your phone? I've called you _at least_ ten times!" She yelled, not bothering to lower her voice as she got closer to the skeleton. sans gave his pockets a pat down before pulling out a cellphone. He grimaced when he saw the screen.

"jeeze, undyne, 'at least ten times' is a bit of an understatement. i haven't even been here long enough for you to call 42 times. didja just let it ring once, hang up an' try again?" sans asked, tired already from dealing with her.

"Shut up, punk! You need to answer on the first ring! What if it was an emergency?" The fish lady demanded.

"is it an emergency?" sans asked, sliding a hand down his skull.

"No! But it could have been! Your brother always answers on the first ring, you have no excuse!"

"i don't re _call_ it being in the job description to have ta answer it so quickly." sans quipped. Undyne grit her teeth. _She must be his superior in the gang_ , Frisk thought to herself. She felt pity for the fish woman. He must be a real pain in the ass to deal with.

"Could I get you a drink while you're here, ma'am?" Frisk asked, worried that if sans worked the fish woman up any more, she would break something. Not that Frisk would have blamed her.

"Not now," Undyne said with a quick glance. She went back to talk to sans and her good eye widened almost comically when she looked back at Frisk.

"A human!? Grillby!" Undyne called the bartender over and pointed at Frisk, "Did you know there was a human behind your bar?!" She yelled. Frisk heard the flame monster let out a quiet sigh.

"She's my employee. Ruby, meet Undyne. Undyne, meet Ruby." Grillby explained before going back to his polishing, clearly annoyed at the days events.

"Nice to meet you, Undyne." Frisk said, holding her hand out. Undyne glared at the hand as if it had just insulted her mother. With much reluctance, she held out her own and shook Frisks.

"Hmph. I've got my eye on you, human." She said when the handshake was over. She pointed a finger at her good eye, then back at Frisk.

"don't worry, undyne, i already got _two_ eye sockets on her." sans supplied, earning a glare from the fish woman. She reached behind sans and grabbed the back of his shirt collar.

"Get your ass in gear, sans, we gotta go. We're already late because of you." She grumbled as she literally dragged one of the most dangerous gangsters in the city out of the bar.

"catch ya later, kid." sans called with a mocking salute as he was hauled out of the door.

"Well…."Emily began, "you certainly work at an interesting bar."

"Okay, how about this one?" Emily asked, a smile about ready to split her face in two. Frisk could tell that Emily was really in her element. The girl was a natural at shopping. The dress she was holding out was stunning. Bright red with black embroidery and sequins. Long, sheer sleeves covered with sequins in an art-deco pattern. The dress was longer than any of the other's Emily had pointed out, and the fringe elongated it even more. And best of all? Emily had picked it up from the clearance rack.

"I knew you would like it! Nice and modest, just like you wanted, but still _gorgeous_. Personally, I don't like the sleeves, but I know you prefer them. Honestly, the sleeves are probably the reason it's on clearance, nobody wears dresses with sleeves anymore. But that's perfect for us! You have to try it on! Oh! And try it on with these shoes!" Emily shoved a shoebox into Frisk's arms with the dress, "C'mon! Hurry, I wanna see what you look like! I bet ya you're gonna be the belle of the ball!" Emily exclaimed, pushing Frisk into a changing room. Frisk smiled as she began to strip out of her everyday clothes. She quickly put on the red dress before opening the shoe box. Inside were a pair of t-strap heels. Unlike Frisk's t-strap flats, these were made out a shiny material and _goodness_ the heels were high! Frisk took a deep breath and, full of determination, put the monstrosities on. She stood up and wobbled a bit on the carpet flooring, but was able to balance herself out. She opened the curtains and struck an awkward pose, much to the delight of Emily.

"Oh my gosh! Ruby! That dress looks amazing on you! Red really is your color! And those shoes! They have to add at least five inches! Your legs look like they could reach up to heaven! I'm going to have to beat men off of you with a stick! And probably women, too! Oh! Goodness! You have to get them! I'll buy the shoes for you! No buts! Unless it's yours shakin' it in that dress! I owe you after last time, so at least let me get the shoes. Plus, they weren't on sale, and I know you're trying to save your money. Okay, go put your other clothes on! We still need to get you a purse! I think a cute little black clutch? With sequins? Yeah? Yeah. That sounds good. Tonight is going to be such a blast! I know exactly what I'll do with your makeup." Emily continued to ramble on as the two paid and left the store. They walked down the street, stopping only to buy a clutch that had stood out in a window. Frisk felt positively giddy. The sun was warming her skin and for the first time in years, the feeling didn't spark fear. Something about Emily's attitude was just _contagious_. Frisk had spent more time in the daylight in the past few weeks than she had since- since _before_. For a moment, Frisk felt the familiar cold fear race through her veins at the thought of her past. _He_ could still be searching for her.

"Hey," Frisk's thoughts were interrupted by Emily's voice and a gentle hand on her arm. Emily looked up at Frisk with worry, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, just tired." Frisk gave a warm smile to her short friend. Emily held her gaze for a moment before grinning back.

"Well, we'll have to get you some coffee, we've got a long night ahead of us!" Emily gasped and her eyes lit up, she practically hugged Frisk's arm, "We should go to Muffetts! She sells coffee, too! Not just pastries! I've been meaning to take you! This is perfect! And maybe, if she's free tonight, we could invite her! I've been getting pretty chummy with her lately! You're going to love her,Ruby, and I'm sure she'll love you, too!" Emily began tugging on Frisk's arm, hurrying the pace up.

It was a surprisingly short walk to Muffett's Bakery. Emily's stream of chatter making it seem even shorter. Frisk couldn't help but stare at the little bakery. The little shop was covered in shades of pink and purple with white and black accents. There was white lace made to look like spiderwebs decorating the displays. The pastries on display in the windows made Frisk want to drool. Emily saw the look on Frisk's face.

"I told ya it was cute! C'mon! I wanna introduce ya to the main lady herself! Hopefully she's in! The store is rarely open without her bein' there, but ya never know!" Emily led the way in, cheerful bells rang as the door opened and closed. Frisk gasped, if the outside was cute, it paled in comparison to the interior. Lace and frills were everywhere, but somehow, didn't overwhelm the aesthetic. Frisk felt almost as if she had stepped into a rich little girls dream dollhouse. And, _stars,_ the smells! Frisk was sure that this was what heaven smelled like. Simple, clean, and sweet.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo! Hello, deary!" A voice called from behind the counter. Frisk tried not to stare, Emily's description had been spot on. A purple spider monster with five eyes and six arms was manning the register, a fanged smile on her face. The monster wore a frilly dress that matched the scheme of the bakery and managed to look fantastic on her. Frisk noticed that little spiders were crawling around on the dress, making the patterns appear to move.

"Hello, Muffett! This is Ruby! My friend I told you about? I finally brought her!" Emily exclaimed, presenting Frisk with such an exaggerated pose that neither Frisk nor Muffett could help but laugh.

"Well, it's certainly nice to meet you, Miss Ruby, Emily has told me all about you." Muffett said, extending one dainty hand over the counter. Frisk extended her own hand and was surprised at how firm Muffett's grip was.

"Likewise. I love your pastries, Emily has been feeding me them nonstop." Frisk replied with a smile.

"I'm always glad to hear that, deary! I'll be sure to tell the chef," Muffett said with a wink of multiple eyes, "Now, what can I get you lovely ladies today? I just finished up some lovely spider doughnuts, they're still a bit warm!"

"Always business first, right Muffett?" Emily asked playfully, "Well, in that case, we'll take two doughnuts and two… black eyes!"  
"Staying up late tonight?" Muffett asked as she directed her little spiders around the shop to prepare the meal, using a couple of her own hands to ring up the total.

"Yes! We're going to Celestite! Gonna dance till we fall down! Kick and twist and shimmy!" Emily exclaimed, handing over the money owed to one of Muffett's outreaching hands. Frisk had learned not to try to argue when Emily wanted to pay for something, the girl could be as stubborn as a mule. Frisk had managed to pay once, only to find money from Emily stuffed under her door later.

"Why that sounds like a wonderful time! I've heard great things from some friends who love going~ I'm sure you'll have fun ~ hoo hoo hoo!" Muffett said, leaning over the counter and handing the girls their orders.

"Well, Muffett, Ruby and I were wondering if you wanted to join us tonight! You work so much, you deserve a night of fun!" Emily offered. Muffett blinked slowly, surprised. Her smile grew.

"You know, I think I might just do that. I'm sure some of my friends will be there, and I could introduce you. It would be like a big party ~ hoo hoo hoo!" Muffett giggled. Frisk smiled at her. Two weeks ago, the thought of meeting strangers outside of work would have terrified Frisk, but Emily, unknowingly, was helping her get past her fears. _It's been seven years,_ she reminded herself, _he must have given up by now._

"Wonderful! Ruby and I are going to drink at my apartment before we go out, so we can save money, do you want to join us or would you rather meet at the club?" Emily asked, bouncing with excitement.

"I would love to meet at your place! Hoo-hoo hoo! And I could bring some monster liquor, as a treat, free of charge~" Muffett replied, eyes gleaming. Emily exchanged addresses with the spider monster before the two girls bid her farewell. Muffett still had a few hours before she would close.

Frisk had a feeling she was in for a good time.


	8. Chapter 8: A Long Day

"Worth it." Frisk muttered to herself as she dragged her sorry carcass out of bed. She didn't have to be at work until later in the evening, but she had promised to grab lunch with Muffett and Emily.

Frisk Flipped on her shower and brushed her teeth while she waited for the water to warm up. She leaned heavily against the sink, afraid that her sore legs wouldn't be able to hold her up. Frisk had never in her life danced as much as she had the night before. The monster liquor Muffett had brought for the pregame had been better than Frisk could have imagined. Grillby's had monster liquor, but Frisk had never tried it. She regretted that decision. The liquor had glowed pink and had given the three women pink sparkles in their eyes. Despite the large amount of alcohol Frisk had consumed, she had remained completely in control of herself throughout the night and her hangover was minimal in the morning. Barely even a headache.

Shower finally warm, Frisk stepped in and set to getting ready for the day.

"Emily! You awake? It's time to go!" Frisk called though the apartment door. She heard a soft curse and a shuffling of feet before the door was opened to reveal her disheveled and blushing red-headed friend. Frisk looked down at her in confusion.

"Yep!" Emily replied, voice high and shaky, "I'm ready!" Frisk was about to ask if she was okay before she heard an embarrassed cough from further in Emily's studio. Frisk looked up to see someone standing by Emily's kitchen counter. It was one of the humans Muffett had introduced them to the night before. Frisk had to think a second before she remembered the woman's name. _Taylen! Wait, no, she goes by Tay…_ Tay's suit was wrinkled and the longer hair on top of her head was messy. Tay awkwardly waved a hand to Frisk. Frisk smiled back at her before looking back at Emily who was studying the floor and blushing even more than before.

"Um…" Frisk started, "Should I let you two say goodbye or are you joining us, Tay?" She asked, unsure of how to read the room. Tay cleared her throat before Emily could reply.

"I actually have to get home, I have to feed my cat. He's screaming for me now, I can hear it with the ears of my heart." Tay explained, walking towards the door. She put a hand on Emily's shoulder before shooting Frisk an uncertain look. That, at least, Frisk understood and stepped back.

"I'll see you later?" Frisk heard Emily say in a quiet voice. It was Frisk's turn to study the floor now, in attempt to give the two some privacy.

"I hope so." Tay replied. There was a moment of silence before Tay stepped out of the doorway.

"It was nice meeting you last night, Ruby," Tay said, one hand scratching the back of her head, "I'll see you around I guess." With one last smile, Tay made her way down the stairs of the building. Frisk called out a farewell before turning back to Emily. Emily still refused to make eye contact and was wringing her hands. She remained silent; her shoulders hunched up, as if bracing for a blow.

"So...I'm guessing Paul is old news?" Was all Frisk said. When Emily looked up, Frisk offered a warm smile.

"We decided we would be better as friends. You're- you're not upset?" Emily asked, bringing her hands up in front of her heart, as if to protect it.

"That you're not dating Paul? Why would I be-"

"That Tay is a woman." Emily interrupted. Frisk froze.

"...What? Emily," Frisk reached out and put a hand on Emily's shoulder, "I don't care who you date or what gender they are. You're my friend. One of very, very few. All I care about is if you're happy. You could date a brick wall for all I care, so long as it made you happy." Frisk explained, looking deeply into Emily's eyes to make sure every word she said was heard. Emily's eyes started to tear up and without warning, she rushed forward and grabbed Frisk in a tight hug.

"Thank you, Ruby," Was all she said. Frisk wrapped her arms around Emily and gave a squeeze.

"What are friends for?" She asked. Emily leaned back and Frisk loosened her arms.

"They're for getting hangover brunch with." Emily replied with a laugh before letting go completely. She grabbed Frisk's hand and began to drag her down the stairs.

"C'mon! Muffett's probably waiting for us already!"

"Over here, dearies!" Muffett called from a table. Frisk and Emily made a bee-line over to the spider monster. Waters had already been set out from them and Muffett was studying the menu with two of her eyes.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Emily asked with an amused smile. Muffett giggled.

"Tired, but in all the right ways. How are _you_ feeling, dearie? It looks like you had a bit of a later night than me." Muffett put two of her elbows on the table, ready for the gossip. Emily's face turned red. Frisk was sure that today would be put on record for the most Emily has ever blushed.

"I feel great. I had a fantastic time." Emily replied, suddenly very interested in her menu. Muffett let out another giggle.

"I just bet you did. Miss Tay seems to know how to have a fun time." Muffett winked. Frisk was sure that Emily couldn't get any redder if she tried.

"She sure does." Emily muttered with a small smile.

"Ooh-hoo-hoo! I'm happy for you, dearie. She's a good girl. Now, then. Ruby, dear, you don't have to work for quite some time, correct?" Muffett mercifully dropped the subject before Emily turned into an actual tomato. Frisk nodded in affirmation.

"Wonderful~ Shall we start this off with Mimosas or Bloody Marys? Or perhaps an Irish Coffee? The blend for coffee they have here is simply divine!" Muffett exclaimed.

"I think I'll just stick to the Mimosas, _I_ don't have to work till tomorrow night, so I plan on drinking all day." Emily said.

"I'll probably just do a Bloody." Frisk answered. One drink couldn't hurt. And she promised herself that she would drink plenty of water after it.

"Well if you two are getting different things, I might as well stick to the pattern! I'll get the Irish Coffee. Now, what to eat?" The three women ordered their drinks from the waiter and delved into conversation about what was best for a hangover meal before being interrupted by a loud voice.

"WHY, MISS MUFFET! WHAT A PLEASURE SEEING YOU HERE, NYEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!" An extremely tall skeleton monster greeted, "I WAS WONDERING WHY YOU WEREN'T AT THE SHOP THIS MORNING WHEN I STOPPED BY FOR COFFEE! I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS OUTSIDE OF WORK!"

"Ooh-hoo-hoo! Yes, sometimes even I take breaks! May I introduce my friends Emily and Ruby?" Muffett replied. The tall skeleton knelt down to get closer to the humans eye levels. Frisk noticed that his suit was immaculate, not a single wrinkle or stain to be found on it.

"HELLO, TINY HUMANS, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! IT IS SO NICE TO MAKE YOUR ACQUAINTANCE." The tall skeleton held out both of his hands to the two humans who happily, albeit awkwardly, shook them.

"Aren't you just as sweet as pie!" Emily said, a giant smile on her face.

"Sorry I wasn't there, deary! We had a late night last night and decided that the best cure would be brunch!" Muffett explained, raising her drink for Papyrus to see.

"HMM. YES. WHILE THE GREAT PAPYRUS DOESN'T DRINK BEFORE EVENING, I HOPE THAT YOU ARE ENJOYING IT. I SHALL TOAST TO YOU WITH MY NON-ALCOHOLIC COFFEE! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" The giant skeleton waved over the server to ask for a coffee, lots of cream and sugar. Once he received his mug of coffee, Papyrus raised it to the three ladies.

"HERE'S TO NEW FRIENDS AND HAPPY DAYS." He declared, the ladies followed with a chorus of "Here!"s and clinked glasses with the man. Frisk hummed appreciatively when she tasted her Bloody. It was extra spicy and completely covered the taste of vodka.

"So, Papyrus, Muffet," Emily started, putting down her drink after having a healthy sip of it, "how do you two know each other?" The two monsters shared a look.

"WHY, FROM THE UNDERGROUND, OF COURSE!" Papyrus exclaimed. Frisk felt her mouth drop open.

"From the Underground? Did you both meet there on a visit?" Emily asked.

"Oooh-hoo-hoo! No, deary, we knew each other from before The Barrier was destroyed." Muffet explained.

"But that was…. That was over fifty years ago!" Emily looked between the two monsters, as if questioning if they were playing a prank on her.

"WAS IT ALREADY THAT LONG AGO? IT FEELS LIKE IT WAS JUST THE OTHER YEAR!" Papyrus scratched his chin.

"Monsters live a good deal longer than humans, dearie," Muffet explained, "fifty years is hardly a long time for us."

"Huh. I've heard that they do, but I didn't think it was _that_ big of a difference. Well... you certainly look good for your age. Both of you." Emily said, still a bit shocked. Muffett giggled and a faint glow dusted Papyrus's cheeks.

"NYEH-HEH-HEH! OF COURSE THE GREAT PAPYRUS LOOKS GOOD! BUT THANK YOU FOR THE COMPLIMENT, LITTLE HUMAN!" The skeleton puffed out his chest and beamed down at Emily. Frisk smirked. No one could resist the charm of Emily.

"What do you do, Papyrus?" Frisk asked. The giant skeleton looked at her.  
"WELL, BEFORE THE BARRIER FELL, I WAS A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD! BUT SINCE THEIR DISBANDMENT, I HAVE BECOME A BODYGUARD FOR HIRE. I'LL ADMIT, IT'S NOT AS GLORIOUS, BUT MY ROYAL GUARD TRAINING HAS MADE ME PERFECT FOR THE JOB!" Papyrus replied, "THOUGH, IN MY FREETIME, I ENJOY COOKING!"

"Oh, really? Are you any good?" Emily asked, shooting Frisk a mischievous wink. Frisk squinted her eyes at her best friend. _What is she up to?_

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS THE BEST AT COOKING! I CAN COOK ANY DISH TO PERFECTION! MY SPECIALTY, HOWEVER, IS SPAGHETTI! THE BEST DISH TO HAVE EVER BEEN CREATED!" Papyrus claimed, throwing a fist in the air in his enthusiasm.

"You know, Papyrus…"Emily started, bringing all attention at the table to her, "Ruby here doesn't have a cooking bone in her body. I've known her for weeks, and I don't think during this entire time she's cooked herself a _single_ meal! All she eats is food from work, take out, or _my_ fantastic cooking! I was just thinking the other day that she could probably use some lessons, and, wouldn't you know it, here you are!" Frisk shot the woman a glare. Everything she said was true, of course, but she didn't have to tell a practical stranger! Muffet giggled at Frisk's flushed face and gave her a slight nudge and wink.

"WHY, LITTLE HUMAN! THAT MOST CERTAINLY IS _NOT_ HEALTHY! HUMANS ARE SO FRAGILE, YOU SHOULD BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT YOU EAT! BUT HAVE NO WORRIES, I THE GREAT AND MIGHTY PAPYRUS, WILL TEACH YOU THE ART OF COOKING!"

"You really don't have to-"

"NONSENSE, IT WOULD BE MY PLEASURE! AFTER ALL, THE FASTEST ROUTE TO FRIENDSHIP IS THROUGH SHARED MEALS! PLUS, MY SKILLS ARE SIMPLY TOO EXCELLENT TO BE HOARDED BY MYSELF, I MUST SHARE THEM!" Papyrus said, his eye lights turning into stars. Frisk couldn't help but smile. His happiness was contagious.

"Alright, if you're sure you don't mind, I would love some cooking lessons." Frisk conceded.

"WONDERFUL, LET US EXCHANGE PHONE NUMBERS SO WE MAY ARRANGE THE LESSONS!" Papyrus extended his rather expensive looking mobile phone.

"I actually don't have a phone….of any kind. Sorry." Frisk said, looking away, a faint flush on her cheeks. Before meeting Emily, the lack of a phone had never been a bother, but lately, Frisk found herself wanting one more and more. She was beginning to see just how useful they were. Papyrus gave an awkward cough and put his phone away before quickly pulling out a pen and notepad from an inner pocket in his jacket.

"NO MATTER, WE CAN PLAN THE FIRST LESSON NOW AND THEN PLAN THE NEXT ONE LATER! WHAT DAY WORKS FOR YOU? THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS FREE TONIGHT, TUESDAY, AND THURSDAY." Papyrus asked as he wrote something on the notepad.

"I work tonight and Tuesday, but I'm free Thursday." Frisk replied.

"WONDERFUL, COME TO THIS ADDRESS AT 5PM SHARP! THAT GIVES ME MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME TO RESEARCH THE BEST MEAL FOR A HUMAN!" Papyrus handed Frisk the paper he had just written on.

"Sounds like a plan." Frisk replied. A small tendril of dread curling in her stomach. Papyrus seemed trustworthy, but first impressions could be deceptive. She wasn't sure how comfortable she felt going to this man's house alone. She felt like she would be safer than if she invited him into her apartment, at least he wouldn't know where she lived, but still….

"Papyrus, would you mind terribly if I came, too? I would just _love_ to see Ruby attempting to cook for the first time! Plus, you need a third party to try the food you make! I happen to have Thursday night off, too! It could be a little party, I could bring some wine to go with dinner!" Emily offered. Frisk could have hugged her.

"WHAT A WONDERFUL IDEA! MISS MUFFET, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME, AS WELL?"

"Thank you dearie, but Thursdays are my busy days. I have to start my specialty orders for the weekend on Thursdays. Save me a little of the dinner though, I would love to try some. Your food is always top-notch, Papyrus." Muffet supplied with a few winks.

Papyrus stayed with the group through the entirety of their brunch. Muffet and him supplied extremely entertaining stories of each other throughout the decades. Frisk felt like she was living in a fantasy. Surrounded by friends and laughter on a Sunday afternoon.

"Shit." Frisk cursed under her breath as her apron fell to the floor. She picked it up and re-tied it with a sigh before continuing towards her table. About ten feet away, her apron fell again. Frisk gave it a glare that could melt steel before picking it up and double-knotting it behind her back. It would be a pain in the ass to deal with later, but that was a problem for Later-Frisk.

Frisk checked in with her table, dropped off the orders for two more drinks, then proceeded to roll silverware while she waited. On her third roll, her apron fell down. Again.

"What the fuck?" She muttered. Perhaps her knot hadn't been as tight as she thought it was. Annoyed, she simply put it on the counter next to her and continued to roll the silverware. She couldn't help but think of the upcoming "dinner party" and smile. She was still nervous about going to Papyrus's house, but the fact that Emily had offered to come as well had drastically calmed her nerves. Plus, Papyrus apparently lived in an actual house! In the city! It would be so nice to learn how to cook in a full sized kitchen!

The twinkling of glass alerted brought Frisk back to the here and now. She looked up to see that Fuku had placed the ordered drinks down in front of her. Grillby had had some personal business to take care of, so Fuku was filling in for a couple of hours.

"Thank you." Frisk said, quickly tying her discarded apron back on before grabbing the drinks. Frisk didn't bother to put them on a tray and simply carried them in her hands. About ten feet away from the table, Frisk's apron fell off again, causing Frisk to trip a little. She was able to regain her balance before she fell, but splashed most of the drinks onto the floor in the process. Frisk flushed, feeling the eyes of most of the patrons in the restaurant staring at her. She apologized profusely to her table and promised to be right back with new drinks.

Frisk quickly requested the drinks be made again on the fly and grabbed the mop from the closet by the bar. In record time, Frisk had the spilled liquor soaked up, her apron back on, and new drinks on the table. Thankfully, it was her only table, so the clean up hadn't caused her to fall behind on orders. Frisk walked back to the bar, placed her head on the cool wood, and let out a frustrated groan. At that exact moment, she felt a very slight tug on her apron before it slid to the ground.

Frisk whipped her head up and looked to see who had pulled the knot of her apron only to find no one behind her. Frustrated, she kicked the apron into the base of the bar.

"bad day?" A voice asked from down the bar. Frisk's body immediately tensed up. With a quiet sigh, Frisk picked up her apron and re-tied it. This time, she wrapped the strings around and put the knot in the front, it was a bit of a tight squeeze, but that way no one could get to it without her seeing.

Frisk stepped behind the bar to use the sink to wash her hands before going back to roll more silverware. She heard the mobster skeleton let out an annoyed sigh when she completely ignored him. _Just make it through the shift, Frisk, you're almost done. After this, if he's gone, you can sit down, have a nice after-shift drink and just forget about him._ She promised herself. Emily was certainly rubbing off on her, but Frisk wasn't complaining. She found her life to be generally less stressful with Emily in her life. She almost felt as if she were living a normal life.

"are you a- _ware_ that it's rude to ignore a patron?" The skeleton asked. _Almost_. Frisk shot the mobster a sickly sweet smile.

"May I help you with something sir?" She asked in a sweet tone. sans grinned even wider than usual.

"as a matter a fact, ya can. i'm all outta ketchup. mind gettin' me a refill, doll?" Frisk looked around to find that, conveniently, Fuku wasn't behind the bar. _Probably replacing a keg,_ Frisk thought sourly. She couldn't blame the young flame monster, but her timing couldn't be worse.

"Fine." Frisk told the skeleton, stepping behind the bar. After about two steps, Frisk felt a slight tug on her apron and it fell down.

"heh." sans gave Frisk a smirk and she knew he was behind her slippery apron fiasco. He must have been using magic to mess with her. Frisk picked up the apron and gripped it in a fist.

"I'll be right back with your drink, _sir._ " _Asshole._ Frisk made her way back into the kitchen, face red with anger. She stomped over to where the special ketchup was stored and grabbed a fresh bottle. As she turned to leave, a splash of yellow caught her eye. Frisk smirked. _Perfect._

"Enjoy." Frisk said as she placed the ketchup bottle none too gently in front of the grinning skeleton. She quickly walked over to her remaining table to drop off the bill, apron still in hand. She returned to the bar just in time to watch as sans took a large gulp of his "drink".

Which meant she was also just in time to watch him immediately spit out the regular mustard Frisk had replaced the ketchup with. Frisk let out a laugh, quickly covering it as a cough. sans's face was beyond priceless. His grin was smaller than Frisk had ever seen it and his eyelights were pinpricks. Yellow mustard was splattered down his shirt and on the bar in front of him. At the sound of Frisk's pseudo cough, sans turned to look at her. Before he could say anything, Frisk quickly retreated back to her table to pick up the check. She couldn't help but notice the wide eyed stares the monsters at her table were giving her when she picked it up. One of the monsters even made the sign for protection against evil.

"Thank you all for coming in and I hope you have a great night!" She said by ways of farewell. The monsters quickly left without replying. Frisk tucked the check into her folded up apron and schooled her face into one of no expression before making her way back to the bar. sans still hadn't moved from his place, but his eyelights never left her as she quickly went to the drawer to cash out the table. Her eyes widened at the very generous tip and the hastily scribbled " _Hope you make it through the night."_. Frisk tucked the slip under the drawer and took out her tip before placing her apron down for the night. Finally, she turned and made full eye contact. She let out an obviously feigned gasp when she saw the skeleton.

"Oh no! I am _so_ sorry, sir! There must have been some sort of mix up at the factory! Would you like me to get you a new bottle? I'm sure it was some sort of freak accident." She exclaimed, fighting a victorious smile. sans was silent a moment longer before letting out an aggravated huff.

"yeah, doll, why don't you go back there and see if you can _mustard_ up an actual bottle of the good stuff this time. why don't ya double check this time, just in case." sans finally replied, tone cold and clipped. Frisk felt a small shiver of trepidation go down her spine, but dismissed it. The skeleton may have a dangerous record, but surely he wouldn't hurt her in his friend's bar. And Grillby had specifically asked him to watch out for her the other night, so _surely_ she was somewhat protected.

Frisk went into the back and grabbed a new bottle of ketchup. She made sure to bring it straight out to sans so he wouldn't think she'd tampered with this new one. When she placed the new bottle in front of the skeleton monster, she noticed that the mustard that had been splattered on the bar and on sans himself had been cleaned. There wasn't a single drop or smear to be seen. Frisk looked at the skeleton in confusion, but he was already twisting the lid off of the red bottle to make sure that it actually had the condiment he wanted in it. Frisk looked around the bar to see if Fuku was back, but she was still nowhere to be seen. She looked back at sans who was now guzzling the ketchup. _Did_ he _clean it up? Fuku and I are the only ones working..._ Frisk wondered. She could not wrap her mind around the idea of the slobbish skeleton cleaning up a mess like that, but maybe she was wrong?

Frisk continued working on her outs so she could leave. She ignored sans and sans ignored her. It was as if the two had met some sort of truce. The restaurant was officially closed, but the bar would stay open until 2:30 AM. Frisk always tried to clean as much as she could when she was the closing server so the bartender could leave as quickly as possible when it was time to close. She swept and mopped the floors away from the bar, stacked the chairs on the tables in the corners, mopped the kitchen, and prepared everything she could for the openers the next day. All in all, the process took a little under an hour. Frisk was tired and _thirsty_. Frisk promptly walked over to the bar and was about to grab her apron before she froze. Her black apron was absolutely _covered_ in mustard stains! They were all dry, too, so Frisk knew she would have to get it cleaned before her next shift, spot cleaning wouldn't cut it. Frisk sent a death glare at the skeleton still seated in the middle of the bar. He had a slight blue blush to his cheek bones but still managed to give her a smug smile and mocking salute. Frisk angrilly fished around her apron for some cash before leaning heavily on the bar.

"Do you need anything else from me, Fuku?" Frisk asked, drawing the bartender's attention. Fuku shook her head, "Then do you mind if I get a shot before I go? To keep me warm?" Frisk asked with a strained smile. Fuku nodded and immediately reached for the staff favorite, Rumplemintz. Frisk had had her reservations about the syrupy, minty liquor, but it was growing on her. One shot was enough to get a nice little buzz going and take the stress off of the day. Shot in hand, she raised it to the flame monster.

"Good luck with the rest of your shift." Frisk toasted before downing the shot. She placed her money on the bar, shot sans one last glare, then made her way out the back door.

"Fuck that guy." She muttered as she stepped out into the night.


End file.
